


A Farce at Playing House

by cookietosser, literarytonguetied



Series: A Farce at Falling in Love [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Chatting & Messaging, Depression, Drinking, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Gratuitous P3 references, M/M, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru (Secondary), Past Abuse, Post-Game, Sakura Futaba/Takamaki Ann (Secondary), Slow Burn, Smoking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2019-06-28 22:58:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 75,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15716823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookietosser/pseuds/cookietosser, https://archiveofourown.org/users/literarytonguetied/pseuds/literarytonguetied
Summary: Ryuji's best-kept secret comes back to haunt him two years later when none other than Akechi Goro ends up being his waiter at his favorite diner. He can't help but be curious as to what the ex-detective's deal is, even if he has to keep buying him meals to trap him into spending time with him. The mystery of who Akechi truly is keeps Ryuji on his toes, and maybe he ends up learning more about himself as well.





	1. April

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my lovely beta Lit for literally my life. They came up with the title, they gave me ideas, helped me improve what needed fixing. They've been with me for this baby project of mine that I'm so happy to share for the entire time, and we've got quite the journey prepared. I could hardly wait to post this I'm so crazy excited for this story. I hope you all enjoy it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! Inspired by this lovely fanart: http://hi-hazuki.tumblr.com/post/168838052998/what-really-could-have-been-long-comic-under-the

Ryuji is not one for keeping secrets.

 

He used to get scolded by the gang in their high school days for talking just a little too loudly about being Phantom Thieves, but he thinks his overexcitement was justified. They were fucking cool. In elementary school, he once got in trouble for making another kid cry because he couldn’t hide that he was upset over finding out Santa Claus wasn’t real.

 

So he’s an honest guy. He doesn’t  _ like _ lying, it makes him uncomfortable. He’d much rather deal with the falling out of someone getting upset over the truth than actively deceive them, no matter how significant the topic may be. So it’s a miracle that he’s kept a certain secret under wraps for so long, from literally everybody.

 

He’s never told anyone just how he escaped Shido’s palace.

 

By all accounts, he should have drowned. The explosions destroyed whatever leverage he could have had to keep himself afloat, and falling from such a drastic height had left him too breathless to swim anyhow. His body felt like a bag of bricks, slowly sinking to the bottom to be forgotten, but something wouldn’t let him. Something scooped him up and away, helped him swim just enough to get out of the Metaverse and collapse on the grass outside the Diet Building, limbs shaking violently.

 

Not something. Someone. Akechi Goro.

 

While he was hacking up a lung, Akechi kneeled next to him, perfectly poised. Did the bastard even need to breathe? Ryuji gave one last violent cough before looking his way, nodding at his inquisitive head tilt.

 

“I’m good,” he said, pushing himself upright. He was about to ask how Akechi was faring, but the guy interrupted him with a glare.

 

“Do. Not. Say. Anything.”

 

“ _ What? _ ” Ryuji stared in disbelief. “I was just gonna-”

 

“Not a word,” Akechi cut in once more, “You tell no one.”

 

Ryuji was about to raise hell to argue with the son of a bitch, but he heard sobbing not too far away from them.  _ Futaba...shit- _ He went to move towards his friends, but Akechi grabbed his arm, pulling him back to sit with a strength that he should not still possess, considering all he’s been through.

 

“Swear it!”

 

“Shit, fine! Fine! I won’t say anything.” Ryuji shook the other’s arm off, finally standing. Akechi nodded warily, following his lead. “What the hell are you gonna do?”

 

Akechi didn’t say anything, head jerking like he was shaking away any answers that came to mind. Ryuji regretted asking, he didn’t have  _ time _ for an Akechi crisis. But it still didn’t feel right when the guy just walked away without another word, never answering.

 

Ryuji watched him leave, noting the direction he chose, but it seemed aimless anyhow. He doubted he’d be able to find him again. He began to hear Ann crying too and shook the moment off, running to his friends.

  
  


He hasn’t thought about that night in years. Well, that’s not true. That was a big night for the Phantom Thieves. A big triumph and a weight lifted off the shoulders of his best friend, unforgettable in that aspect. But that moment between him and Akechi? Ryuji honestly kind of put it out of mind. It didn’t seem that thought out by Akechi anyhow, and he doubted the guy thought about him and what he did for him that night anyway. So Ryuji didn’t attach any meaning to it either. It was a shared moment between two people, two survivors.

 

Two thieves.

 

He kept his promise, never told anyone. They all had their moment mourning the guy when they thought he was dead, but there were bigger issues at hand. The end of the world and all that. And then when that was done, everybody seemed to kind of move on. Ryuji didn’t want to seem like he was dwelling by bringing up the past, something no one could do anything about, so he didn’t. He put it out of mind. And it stayed there for years after.

 

When anyone asks the typical question, “What are you majoring in,” he ends up spilling his injury story every single time. Well, an abridged version. He knows there’s no point in telling people an asshole teacher was responsible. No one believed him the first time around, why would they now? People usually find him sympathetic for being inspired by the doctors that helped him, but he hardly thinks it’s anything so grand. When it came to decide, he kind of just looked at Ann and said, “Sports?” She had been the one to suggest physical therapy, and it seemed solid enough of an idea. Something kind of in the medical field, something his mom could be proud of.

 

But he had underestimated the amount of science courses he’d have to take. And he can only text Futaba so much.

 

He finds a diner with amazing food that’s also a great place to study, getting that feeling of comradery that he lost transitioning from high school to college. The place has its fair share of regulars aside from himself, and everyone tends to be friendly and encouraging even when Ryuji stares at his laptop screen for hours and end willing his health science assignment to finish itself. He’s too busy nowadays to think about the past, especially that moment between him and Akechi.

 

The memory certainly hits him like a bullet train now, as he takes in the sight of his waiter of the day, none other than the Detective Prince himself.

 

“WHAT THE EFF?” Ryuji yells. Some of the aunties behind his booth make a shushing sound, and he can feel his face heat up with embarrassment, “What the hell are you doing here?”

 

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Akechi answers, face pulled in confusion. He backs away slightly, as if he’s frightened of Ryuji. The thought would make him laugh if the current situation weren’t so mind-blowingly bizarre. “I’m here to take your order, sir.”

 

Ryuji looks at him up and down. Okay so he looks...different. His hair is longer and pulled up in a ponytail. It’s actually pretty weird seeing his hair out of his face, he didn’t realize that so much of it was hidden away wearing it down all the time in high school. He can see just how sharp his jawline is, how long and slender his neck is. He looks kind of tired, worn out, not so perfect anymore without his fame.

 

Ryuji looks down at his name tag for one last confirmation. It reads, “Himura Koji,” which would be next to impossible to read as, “Akechi Goro.” The mildly terrifying manager is glaring at him from behind the counter, and the diner hold an uneasy silence, so Ryuji decides to drop the issue, “Sorry. My bad. I thought you were someone else.”

 

“I’ve been told I have one of those faces,” this guy says with a cheerful smile, appearing harmless, but no one bounces back that fast. Ryuji decides to remain wary. “Can I assume you’re one of the regulars? I just started working here last week, so please be kind to me if I make mistakes.”

 

Once he gets Ryuji’s order, he walks away briskly. Ryuji turns back to his math notes, but knows studying is pointless at this rate. He just can’t help but keep glancing back at the guy, watching him interact with the other customers. It’s so reminiscent of how Akechi would act on TV, but it seems almost more genuine. As genuine as customer service can be. 

 

It’s more like the waiter doesn’t care as much as Akechi did if people like him. Like he’s polite, but it’s no skin off his back if they get pissed off. He seems freer. Ryuji gets caught staring a couple of times, but he just glares at not-Akechi and shovels more rice into his mouth until the guy is satisfied and returns to his work. 

 

He’s finally freed of the walking deja vu when the waiter appears to be sent on his break, disappearing outside. The manager comes over to Ryuji’s table to refill his beverage and check on him, her gaze not so subtly scolding him.

 

“Getting any work done?” She asks in a tone indicating she already knows the answer. Ryuji stares at the two math problems he’s completed so far and picks up his pencil, ready to get back to work.

 

“What’s the deal with the new guy?” He interrogates, dropping the pencil back on the table. The woman sighs and puts her hands on her hips.

 

“What’s  _ your _ deal with the new guy?” She looks around briefly before quieting her tone, “Look, he’s your typical runaway kid, alright? No family to turn to, he lives alone in a crap apartment. He seems like he’s really struggling to make ends meet. I felt bad for him, and he’s polite and people like him.  _ Be nice _ .”

 

“He told you all of that?”

 

“You can tell. But you should back off, okay? Your death glares upset the other customers more than anything, and he doesn’t need to be harassed. I honestly thought you would get along with him, since he’s a runaway.”

 

Ryuji looks up at her, puzzled, “How do you mean?”

 

She chuckles and points at his legs, “You’re a runner too.”

 

Apparently that means he’s supposed to understand people like Akechi. As if being involved in track had some sort of deeper meaning to him and his traumas instead of a desperate attempt by his mother to get all of his excessive energy burnt out. He  _ doesn’t _ get why people run away from their problems, he  _ doesn’t _ get why someone like Akechi would do the things he did. Honestly, he’s probably the least capable person on this planet to get along with Akechi Goro, when he’s so used to being upfront and personal whereas Akechi...definitely wasn’t.

 

If anyone is going to understand Akechi for who he really is, it’d be Ren, not him.

 

Thinking about Ren spurs something in him, a jolt of inspiration that he always feels next to his best friend, and he gets back to work with a newfound burst of energy. Ren wouldn’t be so shaken up by some Akechi lookalike, Ren wouldn’t stare someone down while they were trying to do their job. Futaba joked about making Ryuji a shirt once, “WWRD, What Would Ren Do?” He thinks about legit texting her about it now, except he’s in the zone and he’s going to get this assignment done before he leaves.

 

When he’s packing up to leave for the night, he motions not-Akechi over to pay for his bill. The guy smiles awkwardly, though, and says, “Your bill is taken care of.”

 

“Huh? Why?” Ryuji makes no movement to put his wallet away.

 

“I know the other workers are much more adequate than I am, so... consider it an apology.”

 

Ryuji frowns and his suspicion comes back to him tenfold. The way the guy is making direct eye contact with him, so purposefully, and the way he puts emphasis on the word  _ apology _ ?

 

“Are you sure we don’t know each other?” Ryuji asks, proud for his subtlety.

 

“I’m afraid not,” he steps away with a courteous bow, “Enjoy the rest of your night.”

 

Ryuji stands there, dumbstruck, for longer than he wants to admit. He  _ knows _ he’s not crazy, that guy  _ is  _ Akechi, it has to be. The man comes back out to the main dining area a few minutes later, sans apron with a worn backpack slung over his shoulder and he’s leaving the diner, waving goodbye to the other workers.

 

This is Ryuji’s chance to catch him alone. He follows him out the door and down the dark street lit by street lamps, keeping a safe distance so as to not be detected. He quickly loses track of where they’re going, heading in the opposite direction of the college town. He hasn’t realized until now just how little he knows of this part of town, and he looks around shiftily.

 

Eventually, his target stops outside of a run down brick building and Ryuji ducks behind a nearby corner. He strains his ears to hear any movements, but there doesn’t seem to be any. He takes a peek around the corner to see Akechi still standing a distance away, but definitely staring his way. He shrieks and ducks back, but it’s far too late.

 

“So you were following me,” Akechi confirms, loud enough for him catch. “Come on out, let’s chat.”

 

How can he say something so normal so menacingly? Ryuji sighs and hangs his head low, stepping out and walking closer.

 

“I just wanna put it out there that I didn’t mean to sneak. You walk with a purpose, I couldn’t catch up to confront you in time.”

 

“And then you hid when I stopped.” Akechi’s eyes narrow.

 

Ryuji throws his hands up, “I went about this poorly, alright, I’m sorry.”

 

“Why do you want to confront me anyhow? Why are you so insistent that I’m someone else?”

 

“Come on, man,” Ryuji says, exasperated, “I know it’s you. I’m sorry I reacted so loudly back there but now we’re alone. I’m not here to hurt you or anything.”

 

Akechi huffs sardonically and crosses his arms. His polite demeanor has totally flown out the window, a wary defensiveness moving in to replace it. Ryuji waits for him to give up the act, since he’s so close to the edge now. Eventually, he responds, “You couldn’t just take the apology and let it lie?”

 

“I honestly probably would have given up if you  _ hadn’t  _ done that.” Ryuji’s face scrunches up, “And that’s a really shitty apology by the way.”

 

Akechi has a ghost of a smirk on his face, “I didn’t do anything to  _ you _ . In fact, if I recall, I saved your life.” He briefly looks smug, but when it goes unanswered by Ryuji, he continues, “That was for intruding on your life once more. The intent was to never make my presence known to any of you ever again. So, I apologize, and it might take me a few days, but I will be finding a new job soon.”

 

“Whoa, whoa, hang on man,” Ryuji interrupts hastily, “Don’t- you don’t have to go that far, alright? That’s like, really drastic.”

 

“You’re a regular there, are you not? It won’t do to have us running into each other so often.”

 

“Will you quit pretending to be all cool about this?” Ryuji snaps. He sees Akechi’s shoulders climb up to his ears ever so slightly, “I was surprised to see you after you just  _ left _ suddenly that night, but it’s not like I want you to piss off or anything! I didn’t come here to tell you to ‘leave town or else.’ I just…”

 

What did he follow Akechi all the way here for?

 

“I was surprised, okay? And I’m sorry for making a scene. But I’m not upset to see you or anything, so don’t- don’t quit your job.” He chuckles nervously, embarrassed at yet another outburst, “It’s not like I can’t go to another diner or anything you know, so. If you’re not comfortable seeing me, it’s chill, but it’s easier for me to take my loitering elsewhere than finding another job.”

 

He trails off pathetically and Akechi watches him with disbelief. “I don’t understand. You should hate me.”

 

“Well...I don’t. Like you said, you didn’t do anything to me, but like, you hurt my friends. And did a lot of shitty things. But still, we mourned for you. After Shido’s palace. We changed his heart for Ren, but also for you. You were a victim, the same as us.” He tries to take a step closer, but Akechi flinches and pulls back.

 

“I’m not the same as you,” he mutters darkly. “It doesn’t  _ comfort _ me hearing these things from you. Did you tell them?”

 

“No. I wanted to. I’m not lying, we really did mourn for you. And it was comforting to know that you were out there, somewhere, still breathing. It kind of killed me to not share that with them. But I didn’t, because you asked me to.”

 

“More like demanded it.”

 

Ryuji chuckles as he feels the mood lighten slightly, “Yeah, you did.” He claps his hands decisively, “So you have no reason to quit your job, and no reason to apologize.” He pauses, knowing he had offered to stop visiting the diner, but he still can’t help but suggest, “Now I owe you one. Or, two, if you count the saving my life.”

 

“That’s really not necessary,” Akechi argues.

 

“If I’m overstepping my bounds, tell me. But I’d like to have a proper conversation with you. To catch up,” Ryuji continues stubbornly.

 

Akechi’s shoulders drop from cautious to defeated, his whole posture sunken in. He used to stand tall and proud, always putting himself on display for the rest of the world. Nobody’s watching anymore. “Maybe I don’t want to talk to you. Maybe I just want to forget that part of my life and move on.”

 

“Live as Himura Koji?” When Akechi nods sullenly, Ryuji sighs, but he’s as stubborn as ever, “Sure, but I still gotta repay the favor. Let me buy you food sometime. From somewhere besides the diner, you probably eat there all the time.”

 

Akechi keeps his expression guarded, but he relents, “Can’t turn down free food. One meal. And I reserve the right to remain silent if you ask certain questions.”

 

Ryuji rolls his eyes, “Alright, officer. Can I reserve the right to not answer questions you might ask me?”

 

“What do you possibly have to hide?”

 

“Oh, I’ve got stuff. I’ve got lots of...secret stuff.”

 

It’s Akechi’s turn to roll his eyes, “Whatever. You know where to find me.” He turns towards the building, walking away, “I’m going to bed.”

 

“Wait, you live here?” Ryuji asks, taking in the building. It doesn’t look like it’s had proper maintenance in years.

 

“It’s more glamorous in the inside, I assure you,” Akechi jokes. “Thank you for walking me home, I felt  _ very safe _ .”

 

There he goes again, saying something normal, but his smile is so cruel. It sends a shiver down Ryuji’s spine. He shakes it off and waves, stepping backwards, “See ya later.”

 

“Right.”

 

* * *

 

 

As soon as he gets back to his dorm, Ryuji opens a new group chat with everyone in the old gang. Futaba, forever always online, sends the first message.

 

**Sakura Futaba: ???**

 

**You: wanna wait for everyone to come online**

 

**Sakura Futaba changed the name of the chat to “MOM HOLY FUCK”**

 

**You: ???!!**

 

**Sakura Futaba: i just have a hunch**

 

**Sakura Futaba changed her nickname to Oracle**

**Oracle changed your nickname to Skull**

**Oracle changed Amamiya Ren’s nickname to Joker**

**Oracle changed Takamaki Ann’s nickname to Panther <3**

**Oracle changed Kitagawa Yusuke’s nickname to Inari**

**Oracle changed Niijima Makoto’s nickname to Queen**

**Oracle changed Okumura Haru’s nickname to Noir**

 

**Joker: Why so many notifs?**

**Joker: Ah.**

**Noir: Hello everyone! How are you all doing?**

**Queen: I hope you’re all keeping up with your studies…**

**Oracle: (stares at skull)**

 

**You: i’ll have you know i was at the diner studying for hours**

 

**Joker: Ooh I like em smart**

**Oracle: GROSS**

**Panther <3: How’s math treating you?**

 

**You: rough, but i think im starting to get it?**

 

**Panther <3: (claps)**

**Inari: Why is my nickname the only one that doesn’t follow the theme?**

**Oracle: i mean. it does.**

 

**Inari changed his nickname to Fox**

**Oracle changed Fox’s nickname to Inari**

**Inari changed his nickname to Fox**

**Oracle changed Fox’s nickname to Foxy Grandpa**

 

Ryuji looks away from the screen to let the two of them duke it out, shaking his hands loose. He’s nervous, he doesn’t know how the hell he’s gonna break it to all of them that not only has Akechi been  _ alive _ for years, but that he just ran into him again? Completely unintentional, pure twist of fate, Akechi Goro just popped back into existence and he doesn’t know what to make of it. He doesn’t know what the best course of action is, despite tentatively making plans with the guy who tried to kill all of them. 

 

So here he is, doing the one thing that always made the most sense to him, turning to his friends. He doesn’t want to keep this from them any longer. It was easy enough when he thought he’d never see Akechi again, but now he’s gone and guaranteed that they’ll definitely see each other again, and he’s not sure he can do so without telling them. They deserve to know, and maybe they can help him figure out what the hell he’s supposed to feel about all of this.

 

**Panther <3: Wait Yusuke are you just gonna leave your name like that?**

**Foxy Grandpa: I like it**

**Oracle: ASDFGHJKL**

**Queen: Hold on, Ryuji, why did you decide to message all of us?**

**Oracle: oh yeah! pls tell mom what the holy fuck is**

**Panther <3: ??**

**Joker: Everything alright?**

 

Deep breaths, Ryuji. It’s now or never.

 

**You: it’s uh...actually about my study sesh today**

 

**Queen: Did you have a math related question?**

**Foxy Grandpa: If so, I hardly find it necessary to text all of us**

**Panther <3: Or did ya wanna brag that u finally finished a hmwk assignment all by urself? ;)**

 

**You: no dammit lemme finish**

 

**Oracle: …………….**

**Oracle: ………………………...**

**Noir: Yes?**

**Joker: hewwo?**

**Oracle: HEWWO?**

**Oracle: he died**

**Foxy Grandpa: RIP**

 

Ryuji puts his head in his hands. He tries typing the words “AKECHI IS ALIVE” over and over, but he can’t bring himself to send it out. His thumb lingers over the button on his phone, but he remembers Akechi in the alley, all of his walls up and barely holding a conversation without running away. He mulls over the way Akechi had just settled on finding a new job so  _ Ryuji _ wouldn’t have to see him again, like his own personal comfort didn’t matter, and how easy it was for Ryuji to actually rope him into meeting up with him. There was no fight in him anymore, he’s just given up.

 

For whatever reason, Ryuji feels that it’s unfair to expose him to the others like this. Maybe once he’s talked to him thoroughly, and can gauge what his temperament is, he won’t feel so guilty spilling Akechi’s secret. Part of him wants the guy to take responsibility for himself and own up to them all anyhow, but even he knows that’d never happen.

 

**Panther <3: Hellooooooo earth to Ryujiiiiiiii**

**Noir: Should we try calling him?**

 

**You: sorry sorry i was just thinkin**

 

**Panther <3: About…?**

 

**You: when we would study for our exams. at Boss’s**

 

**Oracle: ??**

 

**You: and. idk. i miss you guys. i made the group on a whim honestly. sorry i dont got more to say**

 

**Panther <3: daaaaw**

**Oracle: GAY**

**Noir: Well we’re always here for each other, no matter what! <3**

**Foxy Grandpa: I must admit, it does bring a smile on my face to see all of us conversing once more**

**Panther <3: Ok can you PLEASE change your name**

 

**Oracle changed Foxy Grandpa’s nickname to kitsuNO**

 

**Panther <3: Thank**

 

**Oracle changed your nickname to Sappymoto Ryuji**

 

The conversation dissolves from there, but it doesn’t die out either, and Ryuji smiles fondly despite his embarrassment at the sight of it. His phone chimes with a different message window, and he opens it up, seeing it’s from Ren.

 

**Amamiya Ren: You sure everything is ok?**

 

**You: yeah man. i mean there is something kinda goin on, but i dunno all the details yet so i dont wanna say anything yet. but im ok, promise!**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Fair enough. If you need any advice just let us know, or you can message me first for you’re worried about what they’ll think.**

 

**You: thanks. hows your university life goin?**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Ughhhhhhh**

 

**You: lol yeah?**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Already counting the days I can come back to visit.**

 

**You: me too dude**

 

When their road trip reached its end at Ren’s childhood home after their second year of high school, they couldn’t all reasonably go inside and meet his parents. So Ryuji was chosen as the safest option in order to avoid any romantic assumptions, and he got wrapped up into having dinner with the Amamiyas.

 

He had thought that Ren’s parents might have been distant and that if anything, the dinner would have just been painfully awkward. Ren himself could be interpreted as a distant person, and the fact that he went through everything with Shido and was shipped off hours away from his hometown sort of made it seem like his parents didn’t care for him that much. What little he had heard from Ren reminded him of Ann’s own relationship with her parents. Fine, but almost nonexistent.

 

He was quickly proven wrong as both boys were bombarded with questions about life in Tokyo, Ren’s mother and father talking almost too quickly to chew their food safely. Ren would quietly interject every now and then to remind them to slow down, and Ryuji sat there bug-eyed witnessing this dynamic.

 

They had missed their son dearly, and managed to rope him into going to college closer to home to make up for time lost. Ren, ever the people pleaser, didn’t fight them too hard about it, just asking that he could go to a school that was more in between their hometown and Tokyo, so he could easily visit both his family and his friends, who all had chosen to go to schools nearby Shibuya.

 

The distance between them is a lot better than it was in their final year of high school, but Ryuji still misses his best friend. He decides to tell him just that in their chat.

 

**Amamiya Ren: You’ve reached your sap limit for the week. Go to bed.**

 

**You: <3 <3 <3**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Love youuuuuu**

 

Ryuji plugs his phone in and turns off notifications, Ann and Futaba still chatting energetically in the group chat. He’s got an early lab tomorrow that he’ll be too wrecked to focus on if he doesn’t get to bed now. Even if he isn’t able to confront his friends just yet, he thinks that he’s able to sleep better after talking to them all than he would be if he were left to dwell on Akechi’s reappearance alone.

 

* * *

 

The next week proves to be too busy for Ryuji to attempt to meet up with Akechi again, too wrapped up in surprise quizzes and long reading assignments to make his way back to the diner. Whenever he does get a spare moment, usually when he’s scarfing down a sandwich in between classes or right when he goes to bed, he has to quell a worry that Akechi is going to skip town again.

 

It’s only been a few days, and anyhow, it doesn’t really matter if Akechi  _ does _ disappear again. He’s not a threat anymore, he’s his own person, so if he doesn’t feel like seeing Ryuji, or  _ any _ of them ever again, then that’s just fine.

 

Every time he has this conversation with himself, though, he still gets a twist of discomfort in his stomach. He’s  _ never _ had a problem being disliked before, in fact he’s outright welcomed it as an alternative to false politeness. Yet the idea of Akechi not actually wanting to see him bothers him more than he expected it would. He even knows that the guy only agreed to dinner begrudgingly, but he also knows how little Akechi’s words actually mean. Another reason why Ryuji shouldn’t be so worked up about this.

 

Akechi is a big ball of contradictions and confusion and Ryuji chalks it all up to that so he can focus on his last lecture before the weekend, shaking his good leg with nervous energy as he promises himself he’ll head straight to the diner afterwards.

 

It doesn’t occur to him until he’s actually at the diner that Akechi might not even be working today, or available to spend time with him today if he’s here. But it’d only hurt not to try, so Ryuji pushes the door open and steps inside.

 

“Sakamoto-kun,” the manager greets. “Want your usual spot?”

 

“Actually, I was wondering if A...uh…”  _ Not  _ Akechi. “...Himura was here today?”

 

The woman chuckles, “Ah, have the runners found a path to share?” When Ryuji’s face twists in confusion, she laughs harder and looks at her wristwatch, “I should be able to cut him loose in half an hour, if you want to take a seat at the bar. Coffee?”

 

Ryuji takes a seat and groans gratefully, “Yes, please, I’m dying.”

 

She laughs once more, “Picture perfect, right?” He nods and she goes to fetch his beverage.

 

Ren thinks it’s hilarious that Ryuji has been converted to this form of caffeine, but his taste buds still hate all variants of the damn drink. No amount of chocolate syrup and whipped cream can save him, but at least he’s not falling asleep during class anymore. He claps his hands together gratefully when the manager brings out her masterpiece, topped with a tall tower of spray can whipped cream, and he takes a sip once it’s set in front of him. He immediately shudders and gulps and spoonful of cream into his mouth to combat the taste.

 

“I hardly think you could legally call that coffee.”

 

Ryuji jumps out of his skin, whipping his head around. Akechi’s smug face is staring him down, smirk only growing wider as Ryuji’s expression turns sullen.

 

“Asshole…” Ryuji mutters, but Akechi takes no offense.

 

“I thought you might have forgotten about our little dinner date.” Akechi’s tone is teasing, but he’s got a full-on sneer on his face that would make weaker men’s knees buckle. Ryuji just rolls his eyes at the sight of it.

 

“I’ve been busy,” he responds. Then, because Akechi’s being a dick, “I thought you might have gotten another job anyway, even though I said you didn’t have to.”

 

Akechi shrugs, deflates a little, “Tried. You were right that it’s not so easy.”

 

Ryuji doesn’t know how to respond to that, so an awkward silence enfolds them. Akechi folds with a smile and shake of his head, “I’ll be able to leave soon.”

 

“I’ll be here. Doin’ homework.”

 

As soon as Akechi is out of sight, Ryuji scrambles at his phone for the group chat. His thumb hovers over it, but he can’t even bring himself to open it up today. He has to be able to figure this out on his own. There’s no use worrying everybody before it’s necessary, especially when they’re all so spread out apart, but this is just so  _ fucking weird. _

 

He hears Akechi’s laugh and turns around, watching him chat up another customer easily. The image is so stark in its difference compared to how Akechi used to be- both the image he created and the one he showed all of them when they fought in the engine room. They called him out for showing his true colors, but even back then, Ryuji had the suspicion that had been a front too.

 

Ryuji seriously doubts that Akechi is being truly honest with this stranger right now, but there’s an earnestness to the scene before him that makes him hopeful. He slides his phone back in his pocket, knowing for sure he doesn’t need to warn anybody.

 

He manages to get through one reading assignment for one of his gen ed courses before Akechi is sitting next to him, sans uniform. He watches Ryuji in silence as he packs up his belongings and pays for his drink, fiddling with his ponytail. When it’s apparent that Akechi isn’t going to break the silence this time, Ryuji decides to do more than ogle at the dude’s weirdly exposed face with this new look by asking, “Anything in particular you’re in the mood for?”

 

“You’re paying, so we can go whenever.”

 

“Oh, I’m paying now?”

 

Akechi’s smile is sharp, but the fingers twisting in his hair are delicate. A big ball of contradictions. “Well, you are the one who is insisting on this. I could have easily avoided you, as you pointed out.”

 

“Yeah, I’m glad you didn’t,” Ryuji mumbles, begrudgingly having to admit that he has a point. He sighs before suggesting, “Ramen sound good then?”

 

Akechi doesn’t respond right away, and Ryuji looks back at him to see that his eyebrows are pinched, smirk nearly faded away. “Yeah. Yeah, alright. Lead the way.”

 

Ryuji shrugs the moment off. There’s bound to be several weird points during this night anyway, getting hung up on them is only going to make it worse. He slides off his seat and heads out the door, not feeling the need to check if Akechi is following him.

 

To fill the silence, Ryuji tells him about how he made it his mission to find the best ramen shop around when he moved here.

 

“It’s not like Ogikubo is super far, but I needed someplace closer you know? I don’t wanna think about how much money I spent trying all these places out, though.” Akechi hums in response, and Ryuji tries to get him to engage more, “You had a food blog right? You kinda get what I mean?”

 

Akechi’s face twitches like he’s resisting pulling a mean look, remaining infuriatingly and distantly polite, “Eating out can get quite pricey. I don’t partake much anymore.”

 

“Not living that fancy celebrity life anymore, eh?” Ryuji points out. Unnecessarily, he realizes, belatedly. He’s seen where Akechi lives. He guesses a part of him still doesn’t really get why he’s ended up like this.

 

“Ah, the interviewing begins,” Akechi jokes.

 

“You don’t gotta talk about it,” Ryuji reassures.

 

“It’s simple, really. When your credit card gets thrown in jail, you get cut off.” Akechi raises an eyebrow, as if challenging Ryuji to contradict him.

 

“Guess that’s why you haven’t moved too far out, huh?” He responds, somewhat shakily. Why does he keep putting his foot in his mouth? Akechi hums once more, the sound of it biting, and they fall into an uneasy silence once more as they keep walking.

 

Probably the one thing Ryuji shouldn’t have brought up was Shido, but he’s managed to do it, and now he’s spending the rest of their walk to the ramen shop looking at literally anything else. Akechi doesn’t contribute anything to their conversation, content to let it die as well.

 

When they reach the restaurant, it is miraculously not too busy, and they only have to wait behind a couple of people. The setting sun brings in a nice chill that brings in a sense of relief, and Ryuji rolls his neck to loosen developed tension. A glance at Akechi’s direction shows him that he’s got his arms crossed, whether to fend off the chill or Ryuji’s prying words, it’s not quite clear. Ryuji deduces that it’s safe to assume both.

 

“What kinda ramen do you like?” He asks.

 

“Spicy ramen,” Akechi immediately responds, mouth turning upward.

 

Ryuji feels his eyes rolling back and he bites back, “Oh, that’s great, they’ve got like a whole challenge you can do then. They take your picture and everything.”

 

He hears Akechi laugh and can’t help the smile that forms on his face. He grits his teeth to keep it from turning into a full-on grin, snickering as Akechi keeps giggling.

 

“You’ve gotten better at sassing people,” he finally comments once he settles back down.

 

“I usually can’t do more than the one one-liner though,” Ryuji admits, scratching the back of his head. Futaba says he just needs to ‘grind’ more, but Akechi’s smile isn’t mean for once and he doesn’t really want to make it go away by mentioning her.

 

Akechi’s shaking his head at him, residual chuckles escaping, “Seafood. I like seafood ramen.”

 

Ryuji nods back, “Can’t go wrong with this place. I go with the classic flavor myself.”

 

“Hmm,” he hums back thoughtfully.

 

When they reach the entrance and find two seats inside, Ryuji moves ahead to stake claim. Akechi moves slower behind him, taking in the decor. It’s a simple looking place, slightly bigger than the average hole in the wall shop, but it’s always crowded and there’s a low hum of chatter surrounding them. The walls are decorated with posters advertising the shop’s food items, and he sees that Akechi’s eyes linger on the ice creams they sell. He briefly wonders if the sweet tooth Akechi seemed to have was as large as his own.

 

Once they sit down, Ryuji takes out just one menu to point out a couple of recommendations, and they relay their orders to a waiter relatively quickly. He slaps his hands against the table idly, contemplating a way to keep talking without inevitably bringing the mood back down, but Akechi goes ahead and prompts him with, “So we know why  _ I _ haven’t gone too far, why have you stuck so close to home? Didn’t want to travel, see the world? Or even better yet, follow Amamiya back to his hometown?”

 

Ryuji frowns as his words sink in, the lack of bite jarring. He knows Akechi can be meaner, felt it at the diner, but it’s just not apparent here despite how much it could have been. He had absolutely no intentions of mentioning Ren at all due to their complicated relationship, but Akechi keeps subverting his expectations, leaving him blindsided.

 

Maybe someone smarter would have put together a lot sooner than he has that that’s exactly how Akechi keeps his winning streak. 

 

But these mental gymnastics are too complex for Ryuji to think through without ignoring Akechi outright for too long, and the bottom line is that Akechi actually kind of sounds genuine, like he’s not actually pulling any tricks. Ryuji chooses to cautiously believe that for the sake of the conversation, “It was cheaper to go here than to move further out. Wanted things to be easier on my mom, and I’m close enough to her I can go home if she needs anything at all.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Oh, damn it. “Shit, man, I’m really sorry. First I make you bring up Shido, then I go bring up my mom even though I know about what happened to yours. Two for two on things I should definitely not make you talk about,  _ wow _ .” Ryuji gulps down the water in front of him before he says anything else stupid.

 

Akechi huffs, “Are you this insensitive to your friends with dead parents as well?”

 

“I’m not this guy, okay, I’m not the guy people have serious, meaningful conversations with. I’m the guy people go to when they wanna do something simple like eat food, go see a dumb movie. When they wanna study with someone and come out feeling smarter. I’m not.  _ Good _ at handling heavy topics.”

 

Akechi doesn’t respond right away, letting the silence permeate. Ryuji has to wave the waiter over for more water, and he grabs Akechi’s cup to drink from while he waits. He raises one perfect eyebrow in response, but Ryuji just keeps gulping to keep his damn mouth shut.

 

“We could just.  _ Not. _ ” Akechi finally responds, after the waiter fills their glasses. “If you’re not the type to handle lofty topics, we don’t have to. To be frank, I’d prefer it.”

 

Ryuji sighs heavily, “Yeah?” The other nods. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually so insistent on bringing past shit up. Probably because, yeah, I’m insensitive about it. I don’t know why I felt like I had to harp on it so much.”

 

“Probably because my shit is particularly potent.” Ryuji lets out a surprised laugh and Akechi smiles. “So. The age old question…” Ryuji knows exactly what he’s going to say next, “What are you studying?”

 

“Physical therapy.” Akechi’s head tilts. Time for the life story. “I dunno if you knew about my leg. I was in track and it got a bad break.” He catches him eyeing his legs and saves him the trouble by rubbing at the bad one. “The physical therapists are the only reason I can walk as well as I can. I wanna be able to return the favor I guess by helping others in the same way.”

 

“Ever the hero helping others.” Again, another snide comment that somehow sounds sincere.

 

Ryuji shrugs. “You going to school or…?”

 

Akechi’s eyes turn away from him, glancing over the other patrons instead, “Nope. Pretty difficult to apply for schools when you don’t exist.”

 

“How do you mean?” Ryuji asks before he can register that this might go into heavy territory. How the hell is he supposed to talk to Akechi  _ without _ shit getting too real?

 

“Akechi Goro disappeared around the same time Shido’s heart was changed. All of my records are under that name. I am essentially off the grid.”

 

“Do you have to be though?”

 

Akechi watches the workers in the kitchen prepare meals with distant eyes, “You heard what my cognitive self said, no? Shido planned to kill me all along. He probably already had players in place to make sure that happened. I think the reason it took the public opinion so long to sway was due to a massive cleanup. Disposing of me might have been a part of that.”

 

Ryuji’s stomach churns at the idea of so many people being involved with Shido’s scheming with cognitive pscience, and feels that much more relieved that they gave up the cognitive world to spare society from potential misuse, despite how much he might miss the power that world gave them.

 

“Well. I’m glad they didn’t get to you, then,” Ryuji settles with as an answer. It gets Akechi to look back at him, eyes wide.

 

Before he can answer, though, their food is dropped off in front of them and they both turn their focus to that. The steam and the aroma of the broth wafts into the air, and Ryuji inhales with a pleased sound. He lifts his spoon to take a sip of the broth, enjoying the flavoring from all of the ingredients.

 

Akechi seems to be savoring the experience as well, staring into his bowl’s contents for all of the ramen’s components. Ryuji sneaks a glance- shrimp, scallops, squid, onions and seaweed, all arranged in a picturesque form. It makes Ryuji recall Akechi’s food blog once more, and how he had accidentally gone on a deep dive in it when they were first researching him after the field trip. Akechi’s words describing the meals were flourished to an excessive degree, and his selfies were obnoxious in their presentation, but the pictures of the food always left Ryuji with intense cravings.

 

He doesn’t remember there ever being ramen on the blog, though. Akechi obviously doesn’t still have it running, but he watches the ex-detective sample the broth before taking a bite, curious if it’s a habit at all for him to eat in public a certain way now. If the slowness and deliberate movements are purely to savor the meal or to give off the appearance of sophistication. If he feels the urge to snap a picture with a phone Ryuji isn’t sure he even possesses. If the delicate way he chews his food and the perfectly contained slurping sounds is forced or if Akechi really is just that poised of a person.

 

Ryuji is thankfully stuffing his mouth and gulping down the broth, thus too busy to voice any of this out loud. 

 

They eat without a further exchange of words, content to share the moment accompanied by the background noise of people filtering in and out. When their empty bowls are taken away, Ryuji motions towards the ice cream ad with an inquiring, “Dessert?”

 

Akechi covers his mouth with an exaggerated yawn, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut this short. It’s been quite a long day.” He’s seen better acting from Ann, but he lets it go with a nod. They both stand and Ryuji reaches for his wallet, and Akechi seems to falter.

 

“I’ve got this,” Ryuji reassures, “I owe ya, remember?”

 

Akechi nods warily, “I’ll be outside then.”

 

After paying for their meals and using the restroom, Ryuji joins Akechi outside the ramen shop. Once he catches sight of him, he stumbles to an abrupt stop. Akechi’s _smoking_ _a cigarette_. With the casual way he holds the stick in nimble fingers, taking a lazy drag and blowing out the smoke into the air, Ryuji gets the impression he’s been doing this for a while. It just seems like such a degenerate action for someone who once prided himself on his perfectly and carefully-crafted image.

 

After Akechi takes another drag, he catches Ryuji’s eyes and blows away from him, offering him a box, “Want one?”

 

“Nah, I don’t smoke,” he rejects, and Akechi shrugs, putting the stick back in his mouth. Ryuji watches the end turn red in fascination, commenting, “It suits you though, I guess.”

 

“Does it?” Akechi asks with the cig in between his teeth.

 

“Well, yeah. I mean I wouldn’t expect you to be a smoker, but it does suit you.” Akechi raises an inquiring eyebrow. “I guess it’s the smoke. It’s cool to look at, like when it’s cold outside and you huff to see your breath? And then it’s gone in a moment, fading away into the air but you can’t help but wanna see it again.”

 

Akechi’s face turns pensive, and he angles his head up to blow smoke in between them, watching it dissipate as if to compare it with Ryuji’s description. The longer they stand there without Akechi responding, though, the more self-conscious Ryuji gets.

 

“Dangerous to your health, but addictive nonetheless,” he finally answers cryptically.

 

Ryuji tilts his head to the side with a, “Huh?” Akechi smiles tight lipped and stubbs the cigarette out on the ground.

 

“Want to walk me home?” He asks Ryuji. His befuddled expression must deepen, because he elaborates with a laugh, “Better than you following me there whilst pretending you’re anything close to stealthy.”

 

Ryuji puts a hand on his chest in mockery, “I’m just concerned for your safety.”

 

“There’s your one,” Akechi laughs, then motions him to walk with him back the way they came. They walk side by side in silence once more, but it’s a comfortable one. The cigarette smoke clings to Akechi, Ryuji notices now, but it’s not necessarily unpleasant. It’s a sharp, bitter smell that contradicts his appearance- something that even Ryuji can’t deny is incredibly pleasing to look at. Even when Ryuji was spending every chance he could insulting Akechi back in their Phantom Thief days, he could admit that he understood why he had so many fans. All the guy had to do was smile, really.

 

It was all smoke and mirrors. And as soon as it was gone, people seemed to forget. The smoke dissipated and people continued on as if it was never there. But Ryuji could still smell it, the absence of it lingering under his nose. An ever evolving contradiction.

 

Wow, his literature lecture must be really sticking with him.

 

When he pulls himself out of his thoughts, they’ve nearly reached Akechi’s apartment building. They stop at the entrance and Ryuji stuffs his hands in his pockets, hesitating as to how to end this very strange evening.

 

He settles with, “So, uh...thanks for comin’ out with me.”

 

Akechi takes one step towards his building with a hum, “I hope I satisfied your curiosity.”

 

“Not really,” Ryuji admits. He botched any attempt to sensitively and appropriately gather intel on what Akechi has been up to since he’s disappeared, so he remains just as much of an enigma as before.

 

Akechi looks thoughtful, “I will allow one unabashed question that I will try my best to answer.”

 

“For real?”

 

“Is that your question?”

 

“No, asshole,” Ryuji grumbles with a pout while Akechi smirks at him. He taps his foot on the ground nervously, trying to think back on all of his particularly Akechi-centered musings to find the one thing that left him the most curious. But anything he thinks of runs the risk of offending Akechi and upsetting this delicate balance they’ve got going on. Ryuji’s realizing that this little mission of his is going to take a lot more than just one dinner. They’ve got to establish more trust between them. So what the hell can he ask him now?

 

“Who’s Himura Koji?”

 

Akechi’s smirk doesn’t waver, but is eyes scan over Ryuji like he’s trying to piece something together. Ryuji barely resists the urge to squirm, holding out for the guy to answer him, or ignore him and go inside,  _ something. _

 

Something in Akechi does give and he looks at some distant point out in the dark night sky. When he speaks, his voice sounds blank, like his emotions are just as far away as however far he’s looking out, “On record? He’s a boy who was orphaned at seven years old. Displaced from his modest childhood home to an institution that didn’t care where its children ended up, as long as they went somewhere. He proved to be trouble because they kept giving him back. Nobody wanted him. Then, when he was fifteen, he up and left. Disappeared without a trace.”

 

Akechi looks back at him with a despondent shrug, “Now he works at a diner in Iwatodai, serving nosy college students who think his life is somehow worth something.”

 

“It is,” Ryuji argues before he can think of all that Akechi’s implying.

 

“Spare me,” Akechi says without malice, turning to enter his apartment building.

 

“Wait,” Ryuji interrupts and thankfully, Akechi does stop. “Is that your real name?”

 

Akechi just huffs weakly, “I promised one answer.” Then he’s walking into the building, the sound of the door closing echoing into the night. Ryuji hangs his head.

 

* * *

  
  


**MOM HOLY FUCK**

 

**You: how would you look someone up for info?**

**You: like to find old news articles they could have been mentioned in and stuff**

 

**Panther <3: Uhhhh this sounds really creepy?**

**Oracle: stalking someone? want me to hack them?**

**Kitsunaenae: Ryuji, the art of seduction can be much more impactful than whatever you have in mind.**

 

**You: it aint nothing like that!**

**You: its for a homework assignment. an essay.**

 

**Queen: Your professor should have taught you how to research on a subject through your school library or reliable Internet sources databases.**

 

**You: …...i must notve been paying attention**

 

**Oracle: bahahaha**

**Joker: I know some sights you can check out, I’ll text them to you**

**Noir: And I have some notes somewhere from my first semester about how to find books in libraries! I’ll find them and send them to you.**

 

**You: what about newspapers?**

 

**Queen: I can send you some instructions on how to look through newspaper databases.**

**Panther <3: Do you have to use those often for assignments in the police academy?**

**Queen: Moreso court cases as references, but newspapers are a frequent source as well.**

**Oracle: i can still hack somebody. you know. if you need me to**

**Joker: Futaba no**

 

**You: Futaba no**

 

**Panther <3 changed Oracle’s nickname to Futaba no**

 

**Futaba no: </3**

 

**Futaba no changed her nickname to FUTABA YES**

 

**FUTABA YES: why are you 3 like this**

**Joker: #ori3squad**

**Panther <3: yeeee**

 

**You: (sunglasses emoji)**

 

Ryuji opens up new tabs as Ren’s, Makoto’s, and Haru’s individual messages come in. He copies and saves Haru’s notes to a document before closing out of that, knowing it will at least come in handy in the future. Ren’s message has a list of links to try, so he bookmarks those for reference. Makoto’s is the one he reads carefully, visualizing where he’ll need to go in his own library in order to find the databases he needs. 

 

He plans to go between his classes in the morning to see what he can find on Himura Koji, if the records on Akechi are as limited as he implied. He does feel guilty going behind the guy’s back like this, but he knows he won’t get a straight answer otherwise. It’s not like he’ll ever use the information he might find against him.

 

It ends up not mattering much in the end anyhow. There’s exactly one article that Ryuji manages to find, detailing the police finding Akechi’s mother dead in their apartment after her son made the call. Ryuji’s leg shakes as he sits in the library to stop his hands from trembling. Akechi’s the one who found her. He supposed it made sense, logistically, but what does that do to a person, finding their parent like that? No wonder Akechi grew up so fixated on her the way he did.

 

The article doesn’t even mention Akechi by name, keeping the minor anonymous. “Himura Koji,” therefore, came up with nothing in general, and it took days scouring through articles just looking for “Himura,” but this one story’s details make it apparent that he’s found the right one. But Akechi’s mother’s name leads to a dead end as well, leaving no footprint in history to find.

 

After his fifth day spent in the dark recesses of the library’s basement, Ryuji admits defeat. A dark cloud of despair hangs over his head, even as he enters the diner later that evening, collapsing in his usual seat at his usual table. Not too long afterward, Akechi approaches him in uniform, presumably to take his order.

 

“Picture perfect coffee?” He asks as he places a menu down in front of Ryuji.

 

“Can you do like a cream soda?” He asks instead.

 

Akechi’s eyebrow climbs slightly and he eyes his slumped posture, “Are you not feeling picture perfect today?”

 

“No,” he mopes. “Maybe if I stare at a cream soda I’ll be able to feel some joy. They’re aesthetically pleasing ya know?”

 

“That they are,” Akechi agrees half-heartedly. “Might I recommend the pork cutlet meal to boost your spirits?”

 

“Man, you’re not even trying to give me that dazzling customer service voice.”

 

“I’m pretty sure you’re quite familiar how dazzling I can make my personality,” Akechi smirks. “But really, when’s the last time you ate?”

 

“Don’t worry, you’re getting my money. I’ll do the pork cutlet,” Ryuji reassures sullenly. Until a beautiful cream soda is sitting in front of him, he will never know joy again.

 

“Excellent. Thank you so much for your patronage,” Akechi’s smile nearly blinds him now, and Ryuji shields his eyes. The waiter laughs, “Really now, what’s got you so troubled?”

 

Ryuji shifts in his seat uncomfortably, “I, uh, had a research paper. Couldn’t find any info on the subject though. I looked for days and got nothing new.”

 

“That seems like an impossible assignment,” Akechi comments, eyes narrowed.

 

“Yeah. Guess you’re right.”

 

Akechi keeps standing there, like he’s waiting for more, but then he clicks his tongue, “Let me get you your aesthetically pleasing cream soda.”

 

It is as much of shining beacon of hope as he was hoping it would be, and the pork cutlet does turn out to be delicious and rejuvenating. As the evening goes on and the patrons slowly filter out, he gets a few small assignments done, and gets a head start on his reading for good measure. Akechi comes every so often with cups of water, and even a cup of coffee just the way he likes it, unprompted. When Ryuji gives him a look about it, Akechi just shrugs it off and goes to help his other tables.

 

When he’s one of the last few tables left, he waves over the manager to pay his bill.

 

“It’s taken care of,” she announces, then elaborates when Ryuji looks at her in confusion, “Himura-kun made it his employee meal. If he weren’t an otherwise perfect employee I’d scold him for it.”

 

Ryuji feels pressured by her hard gaze, “Hey, I didn’t tell him to do that. You know I don’t go looking for freebies.”

 

“Yes, I’m aware,” her face relaxes with a smile, “The both of you are good kids, just don’t take advantage of a kind old woman’s heart.”

 

He rolls his eyes and follows this old song and dance, “Auntie, your skin is too healthy to belong to an old woman.” She pretends to blush and wave off his compliments. “How long ago did he leave?”

 

“About half an hour ago, why?”

 

Damn it, he hadn’t even noticed. Ryuji doubles his efforts to get his belongings packed away, doesn’t stop moving even when he hears her hesitant sigh, “Honey, kids like him are secretive. Sometimes you can’t be so direct.”

 

He does pause at that, but then shakes his head, “Doing nothing ain't gonna help anything.”

 

The manager might’ve said something about him missing the point, other customers might’ve commented on his sudden and rude behavior, but he pays all of it no mind. His mom used to tell him that track was perfect for him due to his driven nature. Once he got a goal in mind, he’d get to it no matter how rough the journey could be. He’s won his team a few track meets by literally eating dirt tripping to the finish line, and he would always look up at his teammates with a triumphant grin. They won, that’s all that matters.

 

So he doesn’t really care that he’s being too forward going to Akechi’s place unannounced. He doesn’t really care that neither of them aren’t very much equipped to talk about things that happened before. There’s something about Akechi that keeps propelling him forward, and Ryuji knows he’s the type of man who goes by his gut. 

 

Akechi’s going to question his motives, without a doubt. And Ryuji’s surroundings look familiar enough that he’s not particularly worried about getting lost, so he tries to talk himself up, think of some things to say beforehand until he gets to Akechi’s doorstep. He used to do these sort of practice speeches when he was younger, not particularly thinking about why until Futaba revealed that she does it too. 

 

“If I have a fake conversation with myself, even if it doesn’t go the way I planned, I’ll at least feel more in control of the situation you know?” She had said, and Ryuji had nodded vigorously at her in agreement. 

 

When she had briefly left the room, Yusuke had looked up from his sketchbook with a constipated sort of expression, “I also find myself being careful with my words, but I’ve discovered it’s due to a residual conditioning from Madarame.”

 

Ryuji had immediately begun shaking his leg, hesitant to reveal, “Yeah. I guess my old man also kinda instilled that in me. Anything could have set him off, you know?”

 

“Sometimes it was best not to say anything,” Yusuke had murmured.

 

Ryuji had swallowed thickly before contesting, “Yeah, but don’t let ‘em continue to hold that over you. They’re not around, they can’t control us anymore. Our thoughts, our words matter.”

 

Yusuke had huffed, smiling gently, “I admire your resilience, Ryuji. It’s truly inspiring.” He had then turned the sketchbook over to show him the piece he was working on, a pencil sketch of Ryuji leaning against the wall, as he was just minutes ago. It had been a side profile, as he had been talking to Futaba sitting across the room. His back was pressed against the wall and his bad leg was bent at the knee while his good leg lay straight. Ryuji found the pose to be somewhat dynamic and spotlighting his legs specifically, in a way that had him rubbing his palms on them self-consciously.

 

“Damn, dude,” he had complimented simply.

 

“We are currently working on the study of human anatomy through figure sketching,” Yusuke had explained, “I thought you’d be the perfect model as everything your personality entails lays so apparent to your outer layer. You know exactly what type of person this man is just by analyzing his posture.”

 

Ryuji had looked over the sketch one more time, trying to see what Yusuke did, “I don’t really get it, but it looks really good.”

 

If he thinks things through, he’s at least a little bit less likely to offend someone by not saying the right words. His emotions still tend to get the best of him, and he usually abides by everything he says, but it’s a precaution in the very least. Damage control.

 

There’s something about Akechi, though. 

 

Ryuji finds himself in the lobby of Akechi’s apartment building, strangely empty, and is unsure as to how to proceed next. The elevators have large OUT OF ORDER signs slapped on them, but he has no idea what floor Akechi’s even on anyhow. And with no front desk attendant, there’s no one he can ask. 

 

Well, there’s neighbors. Ryuji climbs up the stairs to the second floor where the apartments start, knocking on the first door he sees. An older man wearing a stained shirt steps out, squints at him in annoyance but says nothing.

 

“Do you know if a dude my age lives here?” Ryuji asks as pleasantly as he can, “About yea high, long brown hair, kinda looks like a model if I’m being honest?”

 

The man replies with a monotone, “No,” before shutting the door in his face. Ryuji grumbles under his breath, but immediately steps to the next door to try again.

 

Luckily, he finds out from this neighbor that she hasn’t seen Akechi on this floor, but has passed him on the stairs going upwards. He thanks her with a bow before heading back to the stairs, climbing up. Once he reaches the third floor, he rubs at his thigh absently to soothe it while knocking on the first door he sees. No one answers. He moves to the next door, knocks once more. A woman carrying a baby steps out and he apologizes for the intrusion, then he describes Akechi in the same manner.

 

As soon as he finishes speaking, she responds negatively. He must look at her funny, because she elaborates, “I would know if a model lived here.”

 

“Well, he’s not really-”

 

“There’s no one like that here, kid.”

 

The door is shoved closed in his face once more, and he lets out a frustrated grunt. The rest of the apartments on this floor proves fruitless as well, and he sighs deeply before beginning his ascent up to the fourth floor. Halfway up, his leg starts cramping on him and he stops for a minute with a shaky breath. He misses how his body didn’t wear out running around the Metaverse. Skull didn’t have shitty legs like Sakamoto does. 

 

Ryuji massages at the sore spots as per the therapists’ instructions, feeling the muscles ease slightly. Normally, his leg doesn’t bother him too much, since he’s able to rest it during lectures. It’s been a long while since he’s forced himself to keep moving like this, and his body is kicking his ass for it.

 

When he reaches the top of the fourth floor, a sheen has developed at his temples from the exertion. He walks pathetically to the first door and resumes his search.

 

The guy who answers, though, doesn’t even let him get a word in, “The fuck are you doing knocking on every fucking door your see? Do you know how many calls I’ve gotten?”

 

“I’m just looking for my friend, man,” Ryuji starts, but the guy hollers over him.

 

“You couldn’t make a fucking phone call or even wait?! Goddamn kids-”

 

“Clearly it couldn’t wait, asshole, or else I wouldn’t be here!”

 

They start screaming over each other, words blurring together until a third voice cuts in. Ryuji stops and glances over to see Akechi leaning out of a doorway down the hall, giving him an irate look.

 

“Found him,” Ryuji says to the neighbor with a cheeky grin, sauntering towards Akechi’s direction.

 

“This better not happen again,” the guy warns.

 

“It won’t, I assure you,” Akechi responds politely before glaring at Ryuji, jerking his head to motion him inside. Once the door is shut, Ryuji toes off his shoes, scanning the environment for a place to sit. It’s a simple studio apartment, practically a broom closet. It’s got just enough space for a very small kitchen, a bed, and a dresser. There’s isn’t even room for a table to eat at.

 

Akechi must understand his dilemma, because he nods towards the bed, “You can sit there.” Despite his tense posture, arms wrapped around him tightly and shoulders climbing up to his ears, his tone is soft. As he hands Ryuji a glass of water, he can’t help but think that maybe he’s trying to make amends on Ryuji’s behalf for the loud argument in the hallway, and Ryuji makes a mental note to keep his volume low as well.

 

“That guy was a dick,” he says after taking a generous gulp of water.

 

Akechi leans against the sink with a resigned sigh, “He’s my landlord.”

 

“ _ Shit _ . I’m sorry, you gonna be alright?”

 

He shrugs, then smirks, “It’s alright. He is a dick.” Ryuji gives a surprised chuckle and Akechi frowns, watching him curiously, “So what was so important that you had to bother everyone in the building?”

 

Ryuji turns sheepish, realizing just how brash he’s been tonight. But he’s already here, so he answers honestly, “You covered my meal.”

 

Akechi seems taken aback by the simplicity of his answer, “Yes?”

 

“I wanted to know why. And I don’t have your phone number or anything, but I know where you live, so I came here.”

 

“You also know where I  _ work. _ You really couldn’t- I don’t even have a phone, by the way, but  _ why _ would you…” Akechi trails off, putting his face in his hands.

 

“You don’t have a phone?”

 

He throws his hands up, “No, I don’t. I can barely afford this shit hole even working as much as I do. Who the hell would I even talk to?  _ You? _ ”

 

Ryuji feels chided like a child. He mumbles, “Maybe.”

 

“If you’re looking for information, there’s nothing. I haven’t done anything in the past two years. Haven’t killed anybody, haven’t harmed anybody,” Akechi’s voice grows louder the more irritable and defensive he gets, and he takes a deep breath to calm himself. “All I’ve been doing since you changed Shido’s heart is try to survive and stay out of sight. And I can barely do that. I have nothing important to tell you.”

 

Ryuji decides to file away the rant to think about later. “Then why did you buy my dinner?”

 

“I don’t like owing people favors.”

 

“You didn’t owe me?” He argues, confusion heavy in his voice, “I literally bought you dinner as thanks for covering my meal the first time.” Then, to lighten the mood, “Now I owe ya another dinner.”

 

Akechi shakes his head at him, “I don’t understand you. What do you even want? It’s not like I’m a joy to talk to.”

 

“Who says?” Ryuji half-jokes. Akechi doesn’t find it amusing. “I don’t know, man. New city, new people? I don’t really know anybody and clearly you don’t either. I guess it’d be nice just to have somebody you know?”

 

“Then befriend your classmates, I have no interest in clinging to the past, and I’m not your charity case,” Akechi retorts, biting.

 

“Geez, dude, you don’t have to make a big deal out of this!” Ryuji groans in frustration, “Weren’t  _ you _ the one who said we didn’t have to deal with heavy topics? I thought that implied something, and then you bought my meal again? I don’t know, maybe I thought you wanted to be friends too.”

 

“Well, you were wrong. I was merely clearing my debts.”

 

Ryuji frowns, “I don’t believe you.”

 

“I’m sorry?”

 

“I don’t believe you,” he reiterates. “Your logic doesn’t make sense, I think you’re just saying whatever to get rid of me.”

 

“And yet you’re still here,” Akechi sneers.

 

“Yeah, until you give me a good reason not to be, asshole,” Ryuji argues, nearly sticking his tongue out at him. “You didn’t deny it, though.”

 

Akechi shrugs unenthusiastically, like all the fight has left him, “You’re too stubborn to argue with.” Ryuji grins smugly and Akechi huffs, exasperated.

 

“So…” Ryuji probes, “Dinner sometime next week? On me?”

 

“You’re not going to give up, are you?” Ryuji shakes his head, and Akechi mimics the motion, lips pressed in a thin line, “Fine. For the sake of score keeping.”

 

_ Call it whatever you want _ , Ryuji thinks, but keeps it to himself. He’s called Akechi out enough today. “Thanks for the water,” he says instead, standing and testing out how his leg feels. Sore, but he’ll make it home just fine.

 

“Thanks for embarrassing me in front of the entire complex,” Akechi responds with a plastic smile, opening the door to show Ryuji out. He remembers how many stairs he had to climb to get up here and sighs dejectedly.

 

“Really?” He asks Akechi, “Elevator broken, fourth floor? Wanna get more unlucky?”

 

Akechi doesn’t quite meet his eyes, “Maybe you should heed the warnings.”

 

Ryuji pretends to think hard for a moment, “No thanks. I’m bad at following directions. Always been a troublesome student in that way.” He winks before adding, “Have a good night.”

 

“Yeah. Alright,” Akechi responds, closing the door with a pinched expression.

 

Ryuji descends down the stairwell, with flickering lights and walls permanently stained with age, in disbelief at his own actions. Despite what he told Akechi, he doesn’t even fully understand why he came here, as if their interaction at the diner just wasn’t enough.

 

He did want intel at the beginning, feeling a sense of responsibility to know where Akechi’s head is at after everything that went down, but just as Akechi said, Ryuji couldn’t see anything harmful about him now. The guy was just trying to live, or not die in the very least. His life didn’t seem particularly eventful or substantial, and not like it’s Ryuji’s business in any way, but it doesn’t fulfilling in the slightest.

 

Ryuji found himself wanting to get to know Akechi better. Maybe if they had tried harder to do that in the past, things would have ended up differently. Just thinking that way won’t get anybody anywhere, but he can make the effort now, and he finds that he  _ wants to. _ Driven by Akechi’s untrusting and secretive nature, driven by the lack of anything real about him anywhere, Ryuji supposes this all means that he does want to befriend Akechi.

 

He steps out into the warm, humid night and sighs. At the very least, he deserves a friend.

 

His phone chimes with notifications from the group chat. He stares at the screen briefly before sliding the phone back in his pocket. 

 

Not now.


	2. May

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to Lit for being my amazing beta and putting up with all my whining as you critique me looool This went through several revisions but I hope you're all as happy with the end product as I am!
> 
> CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING FANART: https://itchyarts.tumblr.com/post/178153629667/itchyghost-whisper-please-read-this-even-if-you THANK YOU ITCHY!!

When their third year hit and it was time for entrance exams, Ryuji often found himself paralyzed with fear and uncertainty. With Ann’s help, he was able to at least make a decision on what to do, but thinking about all the testing he’d have to endure in order to get somewhere that would allow him to do that made his heart race and breath quicken, things that felt so awfully familiar from when his dad was still living in the house.

 

His instinct was to overcome his emotions. Run faster than them, come out over the finish line ahead of that low, sinking feeling. He threw himself into his studies along with Ren and Ann, the three of them basically living in Leblanc. At first, it seemed to work, and his mother was certainly proud to see him so diligent. But his focus slowly waned the more repetitive the preparation got, and the worries would creep in on the back of his mind.

 

Distraction. He needed more distraction.

 

He would suggest breaks, going out to get food, snacks, drinks, _whatever_ , just to get anyone to talk about anything other than _ENTRANCE EXAMS_. The upperclassmen would video chat with them to offer advice; Yusuke kept them company while he built up his portfolio, Futaba would find practice worksheets online. Ryuji felt like his brain was going to start leaking out of his ears.

 

One day, he took the need for a diversion too far. His books had remained unopened, untouched, as he told whatever stories he came to mind to the room, chattering away until Ann stood up suddenly, barstool skidding sharply against the wood with a painful sound.

 

“Ryuji,” she addressed, “I get that you’re having a hard time staying on track, but this is really important. This is the most important thing we’ll ever do in our entire high school careers.” She clasped her hands together, giving Ryuji the impression of a parent who’s had enough of their toddler’s misbehaving. “I love you. But I need you to stop. Talking.”

 

So he did. He tried throwing himself back in like he managed to in the beginning, but he couldn’t get that flow back no matter how hard he pushed himself, leading only to more frustration and disappointment. The awful, hopeless feelings came back with a vengeance, and Ryuji was powerless against its harsh grasp.

 

He was going to screw everything up for himself, disappoint everyone with his next big failure. It was almost worse that he had a goal he actually wanted to work towards with physical therapy, because now there was the high possibility that he had gotten his hopes up only to crash back down to the reality that he would never amount to anything.

 

He was losing sight on why it mattered to work so hard in the first place, on why it mattered to participate at all. With a dull observation, he noticed himself zoning out even when the whole group was together. He’d try to pull himself back into the conversations going on around him, but he just couldn’t get himself to connect with anything.

 

He knew that at least Ren noticed that he was quieter than usual, staring in the way he does when he’s prompting people to spill their secrets, but Ryuji didn’t think he even had anything to say to him. He had been given all the support, all the baton passes he could have possibly needed, so there wasn’t anything more anybody could do for him. It was down to him to cross that finish line, and he didn’t have the faith in himself that he could.

 

So he refused to talk to Ren about it, refused to acknowledge that anything was wrong.

 

It was Makoto of all people that cornered him, messaged him stating that it was ‘imperative that they meet up.’ She had him go to some cat cafe, bought him a hot chocolate, and sat across from him with her hands clasped together in her lap. He felt like was meeting with the school principal, if their principal was a crazy cat lady.

 

“You’ve been very quiet as of late, to the point of concern. You won’t suggest breaks away from studying, the practice work you complete is always lackluster, as are your intentions. Futaba tells me you won’t respond to her text messages, and Ann has noticed you’re not eating during the lunch break,” Makoto paused after listing her evidence and Ryuji sat there blankly. Where was all of this coming from? “You’re not doing well mentally or emotionally. Won’t you tell _someone_ what’s troubling you so badly, if not me?”

 

A cat rubbed against his side for attention, and he pet it absentmindedly. Thankfully, Makoto has always appreciated the value of choosing words carefully, so she waited patiently, sipping from her tea. Lying by omission while avoiding Ren felt better than lying to Makoto’s face after she had asked so bluntly, so he admitted, “I’m scared of the entrance exams.”

 

Her face was inquisitive, and she remained silent, so he continued. It was like a dam finally being breached after holding the waters back for so long. “What if I do all this work and it doesn’t mean anything because I don’t pass? What if everyone else moves on and I’m left behind because I’m not good enough? I never even imagined moving anywhere else, but it’s not like I’d be able to anyway, because I might fail and maybe that’s why I never pictured myself moving anywhere else, because deep down I knew I wasn’t good enough to do something that amazing. Ann’s gonna go to Europe or something, you’re gonna be a police… boss… guy, Haru’s gonna rule the food industry, and Yusuke’s gonna be a world class artist. I’m gonna be _here_. Rolling shitty convenience store sushi and die unfulfilled. Because the bottom line is, Makoto? No matter what I do, I’m not good enough to-”

 

“Ryuji.” He clamped his mouth shut and realized that his breathing had sped up to an alarming rate. His chest was heaving and burning like he had just run a marathon, and he grasped at it feebly. Makoto pushed his tea cup closer to him, “Take a sip of your hot chocolate.”

 

Ryuji followed her instruction, holding on to the cup afterwards. He forced himself to focus on its warmth, on Makoto’s slow breathing, in order to distract from his spiral. Her breathing became exaggerated, prompting Ryuji to mimic her. His eyes slipped shut as his breathing regulated and she counted the seconds out loud.

 

Once he had calmed down once more, Makoto smiled at him gently, “Anxiety attack. I started getting them more frequently when I was studying for entrance exams as well.”

 

“Wait, really?” Ryuji asked, blinking owlishly.

 

Makoto nodded, “You think I had everything under control? I was losing my mind. I finally figured out my dream, that following in my family’s footsteps in law enforcement _is_ what I want to do for my career as long as I do it abiding by my beliefs. Then I was hit with the entrance exams, studying nonstop, if you recall. I never felt prepared, no matter how much information I consumed. What was worse was that Haru seemed to be handling everything just fine. So I felt like I was falling behind. I started skipping meals, I wasn’t sleeping enough…”

 

“Makoto, I had no idea,” he said with a broken voice, shoulders climbing up to his ears.

 

“I didn’t either. Or at least, I wasn’t aware of how my health was deteriorating so severely. But Sis noticed. And she pulled me aside and told me nothing was worth all of the stress I was putting myself under. She said that _we_ reminded her the importance of self care,” she said with a small, proud smile. “I’ve always been a good student, and I’ve always tried my best. That’s all I can do. It’ll only do me harm to push myself beyond my limits.”

 

“But what if my best isn’t _enough_?”

 

“What if indeed?” Makoto retorted. “Will you just accept that? Give up? You, fiercely protective and tenacious Ryuji? Is it really so easy to knock you down? When we were trying to coax Futaba out of her room and she couldn’t go to Akiba by herself, did we just allow her to leave it at that and never try again?” She shook her head, “We supported her, we were there for her, and she tried again until she succeeded.”

 

Ryuji shrugged weakly, “It’s different.” He left it at that, didn’t feel like pushing his self-deprecation on his upperclassman. _It’s different because it’s me._

 

Makoto leaned in to catch his eye. His gaze wavered while hers was steadfast. “It’s not,” she said simply. “We are here for you no matter what happens, but you must have more faith in yourself. Look how far you’ve come.” Ryuji opened his mouth to interject, but she spoke over him, “No. Forget everyone else. Think of _yourself_ and how far _you’ve_ come. Everything you’ve gone through, and you’re still here. You are one of the most positive and inspiring individuals I’ve ever met.”

 

Ryuji wiped at the corner of his eyes as inconspicuously as possible, yet Makoto reached across for his hand anyhow. He squeezed hers and he felt her thumb stroke against his knuckles.

 

“You will be okay, no matter what happens. Because you are bright, and loving, and you will persevere.” Finally, Ryuji nodded, accepting her words. “I’m sorry we made you feel like you couldn’t come to any of us with this.”

 

Ryuji tilted his head, “No, you didn’t…”

 

“We did,” Makoto insisted. “I think we take advantage of your positive energy. We’ve failed to consider that you might be struggling too. So as your upperclassman and your friend, I apologize.”

 

Ryuji shuffled sheepishly, “Okay.”

 

“My advice to you? Take this day off. Relax, do whatever you feel like. Start tomorrow refreshed. And if you ever feel this way again, I ask that you at least consider reaching out to us. In the interim, I would like you to try grounding techniques. Focus on your surroundings instead of your thoughts. It’s helped me stay present and away from overthinking.”

 

“Wow,” Ryuji said in awe, “Thank you, Makoto. Really.”

 

She squeezed his hand, “Anytime, Ryuji.”

 

* * *

 

“Sakamoto, hand me your plate.”

 

Ryuji clenches his eyes shut, then forces them open in an effort to clear his vision. Like a hard reboot, Futaba used to say, and his head barely resurfaces from swimming in memories. His eyes finally focus back in on his surroundings and the noise of the dinner rush in the restaurant slowly creeps back in. Akechi sits across from him, continuing to grill the meats they had ordered between them. He seems outwardly oblivious to Ryuji’s lack of focus, but his eyes keep flickering to him.

 

“Your plate,” he urges once more with a quiet tone. Ryuji moves hastily, lifting his plate to Akechi’s reach. He divides up the food between them evenly and Ryuji puts his plate down, movements slow and sheepish. He feels terribly about not being more engaged when he’s the one who planned this outing with Akechi, but it’s as if his mind is clouded and hazy.

 

The barbeque is amazing, though, and does manage to brighten his spirits a bit. The combination of the restaurant’s seasonings and Akechi’s skilled grilling leaves him salivating for more.

 

“You’re not usually this quiet,” Akechi comments. “Don’t misunderstand, it’s quite refreshing, but I also can’t help but be perturbed.”

 

Ryuji’s hung out with Makoto enough to be able to translate his unnecessarily complicated phrasing, “Sorry, dude, I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” It’s not a lie, but it’s far from the whole truth. Akechi shrugs then starts the next round, handling the tongs with ease. Ryuji watches his hands with apt focus in the hopes of keeping himself grounded, repeating Makoto’s advice like a mantra in his mind.

 

The group chat has been lively ever since Ryuji formed it with the intention of sharing the news that Akechi was alive, but he still hasn’t said a word about that yet. He prefers the conversations they’re having now, and he doesn’t really want to disturb the peace he’s established with Akechi. Looking at him now, savoring a piece of pork belly, Ryuji feels like it’d be such a breach of trust to tell the others.

 

He stumbled upon Akechi’s life accidentally, but it’s not his decision to disclose that to anyone else. He has to allow Akechi to make that choice himself, even if Ryuji fears he’ll never act at all.

 

He’s sure that Akechi wants to keep things as they are, and part of him also dreads the inevitability of hell breaking loose, but knows that the resolution could make the trouble worth it for all of them. Akechi was their biggest loose thread, and Ryuji thinks it’d be good for the guy to get his own sense of closure as well.

 

Thus, Ryuji’s been spiraling on this particular mindset since he left Akechi’s apartment the other night. He’s worried about keeping something so huge from his friends, he’s worried that at any given moment he will say the wrong thing to Akechi and Akechi will disappear again and he wouldn’t be able to tell his friends because he can’t bring it up to them in the first place. The deeply pervasive sadness that he can’t talk to anyone about this doesn’t help.

 

He’s losing focus again. He reaches for his glass to take a gulp of water, swishing it to feel the cold liquid slide over each of his teeth. He swallows audibly.

 

“Now you’re staring at me,” Akechi comments nonchalantly, turning the meat on the grill over to its other side. Ryuji moves his gaze to it pointedly, absorbing the sizzling sounds.

 

“Sorry, I’m trying really hard to stay focused. You’re the most interesting thing in here,” Ryuji explains just as plainly.

 

Akechi’s hands waver, and Ryuji glances up to see a hard, calculating expression. Eventually, he huffs with a roll of his eyes, “You’re truly off your game today. That almost sounded sincere.”

 

Ryuji shrugs, “It was.”

 

Akechi hums dismissively, tossing more meat over the grill and onto Ryuji’s plate before he has a chance to move it closer to him. “If you are so under the weather, you could have cancelled, you realize? I certainly wouldn’t have minded,” he adds with a smirk.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure you wouldn’t have,” Ryuji sasses back, and Akechi’s smile relaxes. “Nah, I made you a promise. I wanted to keep it.”

 

While Ryuji tries to see how much food he can fit in his mouth at one time, Akechi watches him with amusement, but his eyebrows are pinched with something that Ryuji currently does not have the energy to piece together. Once Ryuji swallows, Akechi starts the conversation back up, “Well, I had better take responsibility as ‘the most interesting thing in here…’” His smile is teasing, and Ryuji can’t think of anything better to do aside from shoving more food in his mouth. “What’s bothering you?”

 

Ryuji shakes his head, mumbling with a full mouth, “You don’t gotta worry about it.”

 

“Unfortunately for you, you’ve just confirmed that something is indeed afoot, and I’m nosy. I won’t stop pestering you until you spill.”

 

Ryuji groans inwardly. Why is he friends with people like this, people with legal backgrounds that make it more difficult to hide from? His eyes pass over Akechi anxiously. There’s no safe way to discuss this with him, but he’s been losing focus so frequently as of late, he really doesn’t want to see what happens if he keeps everything to himself much longer.

 

And he had felt so relieved after talking to Makoto that day. The way Akechi’s sitting now with imploring eyes without pressuring him reminds him of that conversation in a familiar way, instead of the unease he’s felt lately while thinking about his friends.

 

Ryuji stutters his way through an explanation, “I- I keep having dreams, okay? But they’re like memories? Sort of. It’s always highschool, just small things that could have happened, or probably did happen you know? It’s never. Distressing scenes or anything but… It feels weird? Being there, in that time I guess. For whatever reason. I mean, I am older, but…”

 

“Well, that’s precisely it,” Akechi interjects. “That’s not who you are anymore.”

 

He says it so easily. Ryuji’s brows furrow, “It’s not like it was that long ago?”

 

“No, but this is the pivotal time of change. This is the transition to adulthood, and it’s something you have to do on your own.”

 

That doesn’t comfort him in the slightest. He knows his face shows it, and Akechi elaborates, “It’s a stressful thing to contend with. Your mind is trying to process it and comfort you simultaneously, which might be why you’re having these dreams. You miss your friends, your old life, and you’re distressed because you are ever moving further away from them.”

 

He put the last of their order on the grill, “So. You run into someone from that period in your life, coincidentally, and despite how little you two got along previously, you decide to cling to him like a beacon. You bribe him with food to keep him around, all so you can feel like you haven’t lost that part of yourself.” Now, Akechi makes eye contact once more, and all the warmth from before is gone. Ryuji refuses to look away. “But it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make you feel better to be around me, does it? Because I don’t care about playing nice, I don’t care about making friends.”

 

Ryuji stares him down. Gritting his teeth, he mutters, “That’s for damn sure. Don’t let the meat burn.” Akechi smiles tight-lipped and turns the meat over, and Ryuji watches the steam waft up, feeling an anger burning inside him just the same. “I don’t have to repay you for the food, I just do it because I’m a decent person, but you wouldn’t know anything about that, right?”

 

Without another word, Akechi piles the rest of their meal onto his plate, leaving none for Ryuji. Ryuji has no objections, deciding he’s had enough to eat anyhow, and instead watches the other with his arms crossed.

 

A tense silence surrounds them until the bill gets dropped off and Ryuji scoops it up.

 

“Whatever is the matter?” Akechi asks jovially, watching Ryuji’s eyes bulge staring at the check. He keeps his hands neatly folded while Ryuji’s shake, placing a credit card down hesitantly for it to be taken by the waitress.

 

“Nothing, everything’s fine,” he answers with a strained voice. “Um, we may have to wait a while before we go out to eat again…”

 

“Darn.”

 

Ryuji glares, “You brought this on yourself. Quit buyin’ me food and I’ll quit buyin’ you food.”

 

“Start going to a different diner, then.”

 

“Do you gotta be this spiteful?” Ryuji groans. Akechi’s smile is tight-lipped, and Ryuji mocks it before blurting out, “Have I called you an asshole today?”

 

Akechi opens his mouth, but pauses, grinning most cruelly when the waitress appears between them and drops Ryuji’s card off slowly and carefully. Ryuji flushes and turns his face away to spare the both of them and ignore Akechi’s smug smirk.

 

Once she’s gone, Akechi answers triumphantly, “Not today, you haven’t.”

 

“Asshole,” Ryuji says pointedly before grumbling, “Whatever, let’s just get out of here.”

 

“Gladly.”

 

Outside, Ryuji finally relaxes and breathes in the humid air with his arms stretching over his head. Next to him, Akechi lights a cigarette and leans against a telephone pole.

 

“When did this start going on?” Ryuji gestures to the smoke lingering around Akechi. His hair is up in a messy ponytail since he hasn’t bothered to tighten it after he got off his shift, and that along with the relaxed posture and cigarette sitting loosely between his fingers gives him such a different vibe than he had in high school. Ryuji’s eyes him over, trying to decide if this is any more real than his celebrity persona was.

 

Akechi catches his eye and smirks, holds out the cigarette for him, “If you smoke it, I’ll tell you.”

 

Ryuji wrinkles his nose, “No thanks. You shouldn’t peer pressure.” Akechi laughs lowly and sticks the cig back in his mouth. “Had to be pretty recent anyway. You’re twenty this year.”

 

“Perceptive,” Akechi praises. “Except, you must consider the quality of life in the area I live in. That they might have more pressing issues than who can legally buy tobacco or not.”

 

“Oh…” Ryuji slumps dejectedly. He hears Akechi’s laugh, lighter than his attitude has been all night, and looks up back at him to see a gentler expression. It’s almost _fond._

 

“Couple of months ago,” Akechi supplies, voice soft. Ryuji’s reeling from the mood change, so he says nothing. “At my last job. A customer left it behind.”

 

“You’re almost out. Is that the same pack?”

 

The pack crinkles in Akechi’s hand, thumb gliding over its design. His eyes stray trained on Ryuji, considering. “It is. I’m still debating whether to continue or quit when my birthday comes around.”

 

“So you’re nineteen?” The pack continues crinkling in lieu of an answer. Ryuji’s quickly learning that the less words Akechi speaks, the more likely they are to be true, and silence is the closest he’ll get to an affirmation. “When’s your birthday?”

 

Akechi stubs the cigarette out, “Good night, Sakamoto. I hope I made your night interesting enough for you.”

 

He doesn't walk away despite the goodbye, so Ryuji continues their conversation, “I know you’re being mean, but you did help in a really weird way. The beginning of the school year was pretty crazy, so I didn’t have time to process everything. Now things have calmed down, I’ve got a routine, so yeah, I’ve got more time to think. A lot of time, lately. I haven’t been getting out of the house much to be honest. It was like I spent all of my energy in the first few weeks and was in a long ass state of recovery.

 

“So I appreciate you coming out with me tonight. Getting me to go someplace new, out of my room where I was just thinking about everything I told you before nonstop. And I think you are actually onto something, that I’m missing my friends and my old life, but I’m also excited for what’s coming next. Like you said, adulthood is just around the corner.”

 

Akechi’s lingers, like he’s torn between leaving both the conversation and moving it forward. He provides, “Well. Then you’re welcome for the insight and change of pace.”

 

Ryuji continues, “But I think you’re wrong about one thing. That you gotta grow up on your own? Being an adult means knowing that it’s okay to ask for help when you need it.” His mother, the PT, Boss, Kawakami, so many good people have taught him that.

 

Akechi turns away like he’s just going to leave, but he stops. The sky rumbles and brings a sudden downpour with it. Akechi laughs and stays right under the awning with Ryuji. When he turns back to him, his face is incredulous. Ryuji speaks before he gets the chance to, “You don’t have an umbrella.”

 

Arms outstretched, indicating that Akechi has hardly much of anything with him, “I don’t have an umbrella.”

 

So Ryuji opens his backpack, pulls out his and opens it, stepping out and waiting for Akechi to join him. Akechi sighs, resigned, and follows him.

 

Akechi never responds to Ryuji’s point, and Ryuji doesn’t feel it’s appropriate to speak any more about it, so they walk to Akechi’s apartment building in silence. The proximity has their arms bumping and Ryuji tries to keep to himself and not bother the other, but he can’t go too far without drenching him, so he ends up doing an awkward waddle. Akechi keeps his eyes trained straight ahead, pace quickening like he’s anxious to get home.

 

The added moisture in the air makes his knee tighten and he struggles to keep up, even winces at one point. That gets Akechi to stop, looking back at him. Ryuji initially waves it off, but Akechi stays still, so he takes the moment to massage the soreness away with his other hand. Akechi waits patiently despite his urgent steps earlier and he even offers to take the umbrella for him with an extended hand. Ryuji nods gratefully and they trade the umbrella between them carefully, hands just nearly grazing.

 

Ryuji motions them to continue a short bit afterwards and Akechi leads the way, refusing to give up the umbrella until they reach the complex. Ryuji fidgets with his backpack straps in the umbrella’s stead, but he’s still careful to keep his elbows to himself.

 

The walk ends on the front steps and Akechi finally relinquishes Ryuji’s umbrella to take hold of the doorknob, beginning to twist it open before he stops and looks back, surprisingly vulnerable. That and how close his face is now that they’re facing each other instead of forward has Ryuji staggering back, but he quickly moves in once more to stay covered.

 

Akechi doesn’t pay mind to the aborted movements, hasn’t their entire walk. He just keeps looking right at Ryuji, mouth open like he’s going to speak, but faltering.

 

“Everyone I’ve ever turned to for help,” he finally begins with a murmur. Ryuji has to strain his ears to hear over the roar of the rain, “has used others for their own personal gain.” Ryuji feels his breath leave him despondently. Akechi’s leaving himself out of his own words, and Ryuji’s familiar with the feeling. “I have no respect for them, never did, and I certainly don’t subscribe that way of being. I’ll find my dignity in my own way.”

 

“What about Prosecutor Niijima?”

 

Akechi looks at him pitifully, “Niijima was going to use you Phantom Thieves to earn herself a promotion, and was planning on arresting you using whatever means necessary. She did not abide to any rightful sense of justice.”

 

“She learned from her mistakes!” Ryuji feels like he’s yelling, competing to be heard over the downpour, yet Akechi keeps his voice low, compelling even over the abundance of noise.

 

“I can’t attest to that. All I know is that the precinct was full of officers just like her. They didn’t _care_ about anyone’s well-being, only themselves.”

 

Ryuji shakes his head, struggling to get his point across, “I just think that going through life on your own the way you’re saying might not be the answer either. That just sounds like a different form of selfishness. Like you won’t let people care about you when that’s not your decision to make.”

 

Akechi huffs, “Funny of you to talk about agency in regards to emotions when the Phantom Thieves didn’t allow their victims that same courtesy.”

 

“That’s not true.”

 

“You lobotomized people.”

 

“Yeah, what the hell did _you_ do?” Ryuji argues defensively. Thunder booms far away. “We stopped a ton of bad people when no else was gonna do shit about them. You…” Ryuji trails off with a wave of his hand.

 

“I what?” Akechi encourages with a hint of aggression. “What did I do? Ensure that terrible people wouldn’t do terrible things ever again, same as you lot?”

 

“They didn’t deserve _that_ ,” Ryuji growls.

 

Lightning flashes and thunder erupts with a loud clap _._ The both of them flinch despite themselves. Ryuji takes deep breaths, fuming, while Akechi stares off into the distance, watching cars pass by and their lights reflecting in the water puddles.

 

Quietly, he says, “I did deplorable things. I was always aware of that. But I hardly think you should hold your group so highly for what you did.”

 

The fight leaves Ryuji as well. “We weren’t too far off from your boat. We could’ve just as easily been you. Let the anger consume us, fight violence with violence. But we have to be better. We have to choose to be different and better than them. That’s how we fight back.”

 

Whatever is in the air, maybe it’s the storm, has Akechi’s face raw with a brutally honest truth, “I don’t know if I can.”

 

Ryuji releases the tension he was holding, lets himself be as open to Akechi’s scrutiny as he can, “Ask me for help.”

 

At first, Akechi’s expression hardens at the words, but he searches Ryuji’s face, his body language. Ryuji smiles as encouragingly as he can. Like keeping himself from spooking a wild animal, he holds himself carefully still. Akechi’s eyes don’t quite meet his when he tenses, not from discomfort, necessarily, but from anticipation. Ryuji shifts the slightest bit to get their eyes to meet and Akechi doesn’t fight it. He watches the slight tilt of Akechi’s head with a decision made, and waits.

 

“I hope you like a challenge.”

 

* * *

 

Ryuji hardly has the patience to place his umbrella neatly by the front door when he gets back to the dorm. He toes his shoes off as hastily as he can, beelining for the dining room with a wave towards his dorm mates who call out to him in the dining area. He tosses his backpack on the table and sits, pulling out his laptop to immediately attempt to find some answers.

  


**Google Search: Akechi Goro**

 

**Akechi Goro - IMDb**

 

**Akechi Goro- Wikipedia**

 

**Akechi Goro (@akechigoro) • Instagram photos and videos**

  


Akechi Goro

Japanese TV Personality

 

**instagram.com/akechigoro**

 

Akechi Goro is a Japanese television personality hailed as the the second coming of the detective prince (succeeding the title from  Shirogane Naoto  ), and was investigating the mysterious  Phantom Thieves of Hearts case  sensationalizing Japan in 2018.  **Wikipedia**

 

Born: 1998 June 2

Height: 178 cm

Active: 2017-2018

Status: Unknown

  


**MOM HOLY FUCK**

 

**You: hey ren you know the tarot and the astronomigy stuff right**

 

**Queen: Astrology.**

**Joker: Yeah I know astronomigy what’s up**

 

**You: which one are you when youre born in early June?**

 

**Joker: Gemini**

**Oracle: DUPLICITOUS GEMINI**

 

**You: what??**

 

**Noir: Geminis have a bad reputation of being two-faced, inconsistent**

**Joker: What Noir said. They’re an air sign, means they’re flighty, whimsical. As an aquarius, Yusuke is also an air sign**

**Oracle: god it makes so much sense for inari to be an aquarius**

**Fox: Whatever do you mean? Air signs are the most free of the four. We are not bound by societal norms, free to experience life in whatever form we please. Ephemeral, incorporeal.**

**Oracle: GODDD**

 

**Oracle changed Fox’s nickname to SPACE IS MY TRUE HOME**

 

**SPACE IS MY TRUE HOME: I do love the planetarium.**

 

**Panther <3 changed SPACE IS MY TRUE HOME’s name to Fox**

 

**Queen: Anyway.**

**Joker: Sorry to disappoint you Ryuji, looks like geminis and cancers are really not compatible at all.**

 

**You: wait what**

 

**Panther <3: You’re asking because you got a crush right? That’s the only reason why anyone asks about someone’s zodiac sign**

**Oracle: who’s the lucky lady**

 

**You: dude no theres no lady**

 

**Oracle: oh my b who’s the hot stud**

**Noir: Hot...stud?**

**Panther <3: Haru I’m going to politely ask you to ignore that phrase. **

**Oracle: whats wrong with hot stud**

**Panther <3: There’s so much wrong with hot stud and you know it**

**Oracle:**

**Oracle:**

**Oracle: HHH-**

**Panther <3: ANYWAY**

**Panther <3: who’s this mysterious gemini in your life**

 

**You: i dont really know myself? Thats why i asked ren what their sign was. Maybe i’d get a hint or something**

 

**Panther <3: oooooh SUPER mysterious gemini…**

 

**Oracle changed the name of the chat to “Who’s that gemini?!”**

 

**Joker: It’s Pikachu!**

**Oracle: It’s Clefairy!**

**Joker: FUCK**

**Panther <3: Anywayyyy**

**Panther <3: Give us any updates you come across, k?**

 

**You: yeah sure.**

 

Ryuji clicks back to the tab with the Google results on Akechi’s name, and hovers his mouse over the link for his Wikipedia page. Glad to be able to find his birth date so easily and deciding that there would be no reason for Akechi to lie about that bit about himself (in theory), his eyes linger on ‘Active: 2017-2018’ as well as the ‘Status: Unknown.’

 

Akechi faded away from public memory so quickly, it was almost like he never existed to begin with. It was upsetting to think about, considering that all he wanted to feel important to somebody and was even willing to go about it in a superficial manner through fame.

 

Ryuji thinks of the smoke from Akechi’s cigarettes. Cool to look at, but gone before you know it and easily replaced. Akechi had to have known how trivial that whole world was going to be. And everything he did was so elaborate, putting people’s lives in danger to fabricate cases to be solved, along with all the public speaking, and his image as a perfect student, just to put his name on people’s lips. It wasn’t even his true name.

 

Ryuji’s stomach twists and he closes the whole tab, even going as far as pushing his laptop away from where he’s sitting at the dining room table.

 

He’s laying his head down on the table in defeat when one of his dorm mates, Hinata, knocks on the wood gently and raises his eyebrows inquisitively, “How’s it going?”

 

“How’s what going?” Ryuji mumbles into his arms pillowing his head. He can’t even be bothered to lift his head.

 

“I dunno...It looks like something has got you troubled. You seem frustrated, and this is the first time anyone’s seen you all weekend.”

 

Hinata’s tone pulls at Ryuji’s sense of guilt, and he sits up with a deep sigh, “I’m sorry, man, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

 

Hinata gestures to the seat across from Ryuji inquisitively, and Ryuji nods to give the go-ahead. Hinata answers with a small smile and sits down, linking his hands together on the tabletop. It’s as if he’s trying to give off an air of professionalism, however despite only knowing each other a few months, Ryuji knows professionalism isn’t his forte.

 

“Being in college is weird, right?” And just like that, the serious mood Hinata attempted to start off with dissipates, and Ryuji nods knowingly while slouching in his seat. Hinata chuckles, unsure, and Ryuji laughs too.

 

“It sure is, dude.”

 

“Some of us haven’t adjusted to the new city, new school, new living situation,” Hinata continues, “Furuya is struggling pretty bad, you know? He moved here all the way from Osaka right? Nobody can understand him if he talks with his natural dialect. He feels he’s gotta try so much harder to speak, it kind of seems unfair. Like, I heard him talking to his parents on the phone, didn’t really know what he was saying, obviously, but he sounded pretty upset. But it’s normal to get depressed. Things are _so_ different now. We worked so hard in high school and now we’re here and there’s not nearly as much homework, nobody breathing down your neck. It’s freeing, but really scary also.” Hinata suddenly flushes, “I’m rambling. Point is, we all get it. And we’re all here to have each other’s backs.”

 

Ryuji digests the words, nods when Hinata starts fidgeting, as if he’s doubting everything he had just said. He’s a sweet guy, truly, even if he tends to say too much. No secret is safe with him, not because he’s malicious, more like he’s just excited to share the knowledge he has, no matter the circumstances around it. Ryuji’s pretty sure he’s going to make a great professor like he wants to be someday.

 

Ryuji’s attitude as of late has caused his dorm-mates to take notice, and Hinata’s gone out of his way to come talk to him even though they haven’t really bonded that much yet, so he decides to indulge in his desire to talk about his issues. Maybe if he talks through it, even vaguely, he’ll come to some kind of solution. Because as of right now, he feels very stuck.

 

And he used to talk things through with Ren to get unstuck. Without him, Ryuji’s not sure how he would have ended up, and he misses having that support. He misses Ren. But he can’t very well go to him with this situation, so Hinata will have to do.

 

“My… friend thinks I’m having a hard time adjusting without my high school friends,” Ryuji pauses and Hinata nods encouragingly for him to continue, “It’s not like we don’t talk everyday, though. It kind of feels silly to say I miss them when we’re texting all the time.”

 

“It’s not the same though, is it?” Hinata muses.

 

Ryuji agrees, “It isn’t. So this friend of mine, he thinks I’m only hanging out with him because I also knew him in high school? We weren’t really friends, it’s, uh, complicated. I guess you could say he was definitely friends with one of us. But he and I didn’t really bond at all.” He shuffles in his seat, embarrassed. Hinata’s watching on with wide eyes, like he needs to _look_ at every possible detail as well as listen. It’s a type of scrutiny that is completely different from Akechi’s, and it makes him feel more self conscious in a way. “And, like, I guess hanging out with him without my friends is weird. Really weird. It’s like I can feel their absence even more than usual when he’s around?”

 

“You said you guys weren’t friends before, why’re you friends now?” Hinata asks the question sincerely, no judgement present in his tone at all.

 

Ryuji mulls his answer over before shrugging, “We’re not, yet, actually. I want to though, because we didn’t really try very hard to understand him before. I get the feeling that we weren’t fair to him, didn’t give him a chance.” And when they did make an attempt to understand him, they were too late. “But it’s really hard to talk to him sometimes. It’s like he talks in riddles, but he won’t give any hints.”

 

“Normally, I’d say you should talk about your issues with the person, but it seems like you’re actively trying to.”

 

“It’s like we can’t talk about anything other than high school. Yeah, it was a big deal, but we’re supposed to be moving on, moving forward. Hell, he was all adamant that _I_ was the one holding back, but he’s just as stuck in the past, if not more so than I am.”

 

“What happened in the past? Sounds pretty serious if you ask m-”

 

“Nothing really,” Ryuji interrupts hastily, “Small disagreement. But he’ll buy my meals at the diner he works at because he feels bad, but he didn’t really do anything to me so it doesn’t feel right you know? So I’ve been buying him meals to pay him back, but he won’t accept it. He just keeps dwelling on why he feels bad, and then looks at me like I’m not growing up.”

 

Hinata’s brows furrow and he rubs his chin, pensive in the most obvious way. It’s refreshing, how surface level his emotions are compared to Akechi, but Ryuji doesn’t want the guy to strain himself.

 

“I’m sorry about venting to you so suddenly about this. It’s really nothing too serious.” Ryuji’s scrambling for a way to change the subject, but Hinata intervenes.

 

“No, no, I’m trying to think here. I think I’ve got an idea, maybe, possibly...” Hinata’s body slouches, as if he’s heavy with all of the theories running through his mind. When he speaks next, it’s slow and deliberate, “What if he thinks that’s all you wanna talk about? This is the guy you keep going out to dinner with?” Ryuji nods. “So my aunt, when her husband died, started seeing this guy from her book club.” Ryuji blinks, waiting as patiently as he can for Hinata to work through his story and hopefully present a point at the end of all of it, “My dad wasn’t too thrilled about it, he thought it was too soon after her husband passed, right? So my aunt invited us all out to dinner. And in the midst of us eating amazing food she just drops this bombshell, ‘Why don’t you want me to see this guy?’ They argued, well, except they _couldn’t_ because we were at dinner. In public. So like it forced them to talk through their differences civilly and now Aunt Himiko is taking vacations with this guy to Hawaii every summer-”

 

“Dude.” Ryuji interrupts. “What the hell are trying to get at?”

 

“Oh! So basically, since then, I’ve always seen _dinner_ of that sort as kind of this weird formal, confrontational type of thing. Girls get really weirded out when I don’t wanna go on dates like that, like I usually ask if we can go to the movies, or something-”

 

“So you’re saying that because I keep taking Akechi out for food, I’m giving off a vibe like all I wanna do is talk through the past with him?”

 

Hinata shrugs, “Maybe. You say you keep ending up talking about the good ol’ days, but your friend isn’t really a fan of that. What if you did something else?”

 

“Something that can’t remind us of the past?”

 

“Or just like, something different for a change. If dinners keep ending up being weird and uncomfortable for you two, maybe it’s time to try something else.”

 

Ryuji slumps in his seat, weighing his options, “Well here’s another thing. I don’t got a lot of money left.”

 

Hinata chokes back a laugh, slapping his hand over his mouth, “I’m so sorry. Why don’t you have a part time job yet?”

 

“I dunno, nosy, I’ve been kinda preoccupied,” Ryuji snarks back.

 

Hinata lets his giggles come out full force at that, “You have a point. Why not just bring him here?”

 

Ryuji blinks, looking around as if he’s going to find Akechi-flavored entertainment. He finds none. “I dunno about that.”

 

“Why not? Afraid we’re gonna pounce him? Steal him away?”

 

“Kinda, now.”

 

“Come on, it’ll be great! We can make food here, play video games on the top floor, it’d be a great way for all of us to bond!” Hinata bounces in his seat excitedly, “And what better way to show that you’re moving forward than introducing him to your new buddies?”

 

He opens his mouth wide with a grin, holding his hands out in a prompting gesture, waiting for Ryuji to get as hyped up as he is about this brilliant idea of his. It actually doesn’t sound too bad in theory, he has been wanting to get to know his dorm mates more, since he’s been feeling bad that he’s accidentally been a bit standoffish. Although the idea of introducing Akechi to literally a dozen sports major freshmen sounds kind of like a recipe for disaster, there’d be little to no opportunity to bring up the past.

 

Maybe he can catch Akechi actually having fun, maybe even smiling without any ill thought.

 

“Guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask,” Ryuji grumbles and Hinata actually fist pumps in triumph. He then quickly scrambles out of the room, probably to tell the others that they’ve got a guest coming. Ryuji turns his attention back to his laptop to check back in on the group chat.

 

**Who’s that gemini?!**

 

**Noir: Here’s a fun one! :)**

**Noir:[The signs as college roommates](http://aphrodite-me.tumblr.com/post/111162870090)**

**Noir: It says I spend my studying time watching youtube videos**

**Joker: well are you?**

**Noir: Does it count if it’s on in the background? :)**

**Joker: hmm.**

**Oracle: ASDFGHJ**

**Oracle: pisces** **”mutters under their breath while cleaning, the muttering is actually old taylor swift songs”**

**Panther <3: LOL i love that!**

**Panther <3: mine is complaining about all the cute people on campus (nods)**

**Oracle: but im cuter right**

**Panther <3: ofc!!**

**Oracle: ye**

**Joker: makoto and i**

**Joker:** **labels everything in the shared fridge as "mine," shares it anyway**

**Queen: I think that’s accurate**

**Oracle: inari is shaking his head at whats going on and not engaging**

**Fox: Well if what people are talking about isn’t relevant then why would I engage?**

**Oracle: GET OFF YOUR PHONE AND JOIN THE REAL WORLD KITAGAWA**

**Panther <3: what about ryuji?**

**Joker:** **is never home due to how many things they are involved in, is only home to eat ramen and binge watch netflix**

 

**You: Hahahaha**

 

**Oracle:**

**Panther <3:**

**Joker: that sounded very suspicious**

**Queen: It didn’t SOUND like anything, this is- nevermind.**

 

**You: Nah, just.**

**You: It’s funny.**

 

**Oracle: bokay.**

**Joker: Big okay.**

**Fox: Thank you.**

**Oracle: what asdfghj**

**Queen: …….I’m going to bed.**

**Noir: Me too!**

**Oracle: gn!!!**

**Oracle: joker? :)**

**Joker: game time?**

**Oracle: YE!!**

 

When most of the gang has logged off or joined other chats, Ryuji skims through the messages he missed briefly before clicking his phone off and sighing deeply. He worries about how obviously not engaged he is in the conversation, but there’s not much he can really do about it. He’s got a lot going on in his daily life. He doesn’t want to feel like the chat is an obligation but it’s lower in his list of priorities than he anticipated it would be, and just seeing that visually in the chat itself stings.

 

Receiving friendly smiles and waves from his dorm mates help abate the feeling somewhat as he walks to his room for the night. Once things calm down, he can devote more time to the group chat.

 

* * *

 

A couple of weeks later, Ryuji finds his morning miraculously open when his lab is cancelled, so he makes a spontaneous trip to the diner, which he has been avoiding for two very simple reasons.

 

Money. He should really invest some of his free time into getting a part time job like Hinata suggested. He talked at great length the other night about his job at the bakery on campus, which only convinced Ryuji that he was not actually super thrilled about the idea of working in close proximity with him and his big mouth for hours on end.

 

And the way their other dorm mate Nagisa talks about his job at the nearby Big Bang Burger? Ryuji doesn’t think he’d but cut out for it even if Haru gave him a pity job. He’s probably not suited for any customer service job if he’s being honest with himself.

 

Makishima, the dorm’s resident calligraphy hobbyist, told him that he could be paid for note-taking, but he quickly rescinded the offer once he actually looked at Ryuji’s handwriting.

 

“Can _you_ even read that?” Makishima asked incredulously, moving the notebook in his hands closer to his face, then away, as if that would make the writing clearer.

 

Ryuji snatched it away, “Of course I can. It says-” he paused, panicking that he could not in fact read what it said. “- _mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell_.”

 

“It does not,” Makishima said, hands on his hips.

 

“Whatever, everyone just types everything anyway, why does handwriting even matter?”

 

“It matters because now you have one less job opportunity.”

 

Ryuji rolled his eyes. Who needs a job that requires fancy handwriting anyway?

 

He does. He definitely does, he chastises himself, staring at the diner’s menu before him and all that he can’t afford. He looks up at the auntie manager standing behind the bar meekly.

 

“Does getting a coffee picture perfect cost extra?”

 

She shakes her head at him with mild pity, “Coming right up, honey.”

 

Ryuji relaxes in relief and he allows himself one moment of peace before he bites the bullet. He pulls out his laptop and opens up his resume.

 

Pathetically empty.

 

He didn’t work part-time in high school despite insisting to his mother that he could handle it. He wanted to help out with their bills, but she wanted all of his attention focused on his studies. Not an unusual request for parents to make, but Ryuji shirked off extracurriculars after leaving the track team to avoid needless drama and judgment from assholes who thought they mattered any more than he did for superficial reasons.

 

He bypassed any consequences by joining Mishima’s social media campaigning club, which was bullshit from its inception as it was a front for the PT’s phansite. Then in their third year, the club room was primarily used for his gaming, and no one asked any questions. Perfect for Ryuji to screw around at the arcade until Ann and Ren we’re done with their own club meetings.

 

Ryuji doesn’t even know how to explain a bullshit social media club on a resume anyway. He types the title out before smacking his hands down in frustration.

 

**Extracurriculars: Social Media Campaigningaokdkskkajfjs**

 

“I see you weren’t kidding about not having sufficient funds.”

 

Ryuji jumps at the voice, swiveling his bar stool seat as quickly as he can to look at the speaker standing behind him. Akechi. The other reason he’s avoided the diner, although he really can’t classify Akechi as “simple.”

 

“Do you mind?” He responds tiredly, moving the top of his laptop down slightly to hide his shame. Akechi smiles tight-lipped and moves to sit down, making a point to leave one bar stool in between them as a physical barrier. His hair is down, the first time Ryuji’s seen it as such since their reunion, and he’s out of uniform. But if he’s here that must mean… “Working today?”

 

Akechi nods, then sneers, “We’re not hiring.”

 

“Don’t tell people that,” Auntie manager scolds, setting down Ryuji’s coffee. She’s got a towel draped over her shoulder, and Akechi eyes it like he knows she’s not afraid to use it. He apologizes sweetly and Ryuji gags. “There are other able-bodied college kids loitering around, you know. We’re always hiring.”

 

“It’s okay, auntie, I’m not cut out for food service,” he cringes.

 

“Oh, I know,” auntie says with a wink, meaning to be teasing. He rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

 

“I have no idea what I’m cut out for actually,” he mumbles. He doesn’t mean to be heard, but he feels Akechi’s eyes on him anyway. He keeps his gaze on his coffee, not wanting to draw attention to it. He doesn’t want to talk about this in general, certainly not with someone who couldn’t be less interested in his problems.

 

“Resumés are easy,” Akechi says with an air of nonchalance, brushing his hand through his hair. “You just present yourself in a way that employers will like. Fib a little, focus on what you can do for them,” he trails off, head turning away.

 

Ryuji goes with his instinctual response, “Gross.”

 

Akechi huffs, “Yeah.” He turns to look back at Ryuji, almost seeming uncertain, “I could help you with yours. If you’d like.”

 

That shocks Ryuji out of his staring contest with his coffee. He turns his head sharply to look at him, but Akechi’s face is perfectly blank. Ryuji squints cautiously, “No, that’s okay. Don’t wanna interrupt your down time before your shift.”

 

“What else am I going to do?” Akechi asks with a shrug. He still looks as if he barely has a wallet on him, and Ryuji wonders why he’s even here if he’s not working yet. At least his bed is at his apartment so he could sleep in or something.

 

Auntie comes by again and drops off a plate with a sandwich and French fries in front of Akechi, smiling kindly at him. He gives a small smile back before looking at Ryuji expectantly, waiting for his answer.

 

Seeing that interaction makes Ryuji think that maybe this is the only place where Akechi gets any sort of social interaction. His whole world seems to be here in this diner now. It’s where he’s always found him aside from the apartment, and even that seems like just a place to sleep for a few hours. The neighbors weren’t friendly, Akechi’s room was drab and devoid of any personality. Not like he’s seen the waiter here when he’s mingling with customers and coworkers. Even if he’s not working, Ryuji supposes Akechi feels better here.

 

So he smiles, standing up and eyeing the tables behind them, “I’d appreciate the help. Wanna move?”

 

Akechi nods, getting Auntie’s attention to show where they’re moving to. The two of them settle at a table towards the back and Ryuji places the laptop in between them. His anxiety spikes up, feeling as if he’s offering up a piece of himself to Akechi. He hopes that the guy wouldn’t go snooping through his personal files or internet history under the guise of helping with his resumé, but his unpredictable attitude and the fact that he’s leaving himself vulnerable for such an opportunity has him worrying.

 

Akechi sits across from him and makes no moves on the laptop, however, picking up a fry instead and holding it up like he’s inspecting its quality, “First off, it sounds like you need a place to start, like a job to apply to. Am I right?”

 

“Yeah, uh, anything my dorm mates suggest doesn’t seem to be a good fit.”

 

“Like what? Customer service?”

 

Ryuji nods, “I’m too-” he looks down at himself, “-me.”

 

Akechi suppresses a laugh, “I suppose that might be a problem for certain places. But not all,” he adds encouragingly. “Have you thought about one of those punk clothing stores? You might have to wear eyeliner, but I think you could do well there.”

 

Ryuji stares at him, unamused, “No.”

 

That breaks the dam holding Akechi’s laughter back. He keeps a hand covering his mouth, pretending it’s for the sake of hiding his chewing, but he can’t hide the sounds escaping him. Ryuji lets him ride it out, trying his best to look annoyed when he actually can’t stop himself from being amused. Especially when Akechi catches a breath and says, “I’m sorry, I keep picturing how that would look. You with heavy, dramatic makeup.” Another giggle, “Wearing god knows what.”

 

“You don’t know, maybe I’d look hot,” he argues with an exaggerated pout. Akechi’s shoulders shake and his head drops, hair covering his face entirely. Ryuji laughs nervously and starts to worry Akechi might pass out from lack of oxygen, “Okay, that’s enough.”

 

Akechi sits up straight, face slightly flushed and he exhales heavily, “Thank you for that. That was a treat.” He takes a bite out of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully before he swallows and says, “So retail and food service is out. But there are other types of jobs on campus, surely.”

 

“What, like tutoring? I’m not smart enough for that,” Ryuji disagrees, crossing his arms.

 

“Teacher aides?” Ryuji shakes his head. “Note taker?” A more vigorous shake in denial. Akechi’s posture slumps a bit. “Let’s see what’s out there, what we’re working with. There’s various job listings online.” He nods towards Ryuji’s computer, but doesn’t move to open it up himself.

 

After hesitating for a moment, Ryuji does, typing in his university’s web page in the search bar, “Someone in the dorm said the school has one advertised. It has the jobs closest to campus.” He finds it easily enough, scrolling through while Akechi continues eating and watching him with mild interest.

 

There’s the usual suspects Ryuji’s got no interest in, the ones Akechi and his dorm mates have already suggested to him. Big Bang Burger pops up multiple times, as do other similar fast food joints and his shoulders slump discouragingly.

 

“What?” Akechi asks curtly.

 

“There’s nothing, dude.”

 

“That’s impossible,” he shakes his head, taking a sip of water. “List some off for me.”

 

Ryuji holds down a scoff. Why bother? None of them are going to work. But Akechi’s staring him down, so he reads down the list, voice growing harsher the more useless options he lists off, “Financial aid receptionist, Big Bang Burger, custodian, library assistant, Big Bang Burger, barista, tutor, computer lab assistant, fucking Big Bang Burger-”

 

“Alright, stop. Stop.” Akechi interrupts. He sits forward, angles his head as if trying to look at Ryuji’s screen. He moves the laptop for him accordingly, but Akechi breathes through his nose in frustration. “This isn’t working.”

 

He’s then up and moving, and before Ryuji knows it, they’re sitting side by side.

 

He stares at Akechi, who’s reading off the screen with a focused expression. He doesn’t snap out of it until Akechi commands under his breath, “Go to the next page.”

 

And they sit like that going through the list in a weird turn of events, Ryuji sullen and wanting to give up, but Akechi keeps up an upbeat attitude. He throws every possible suggestion his way, and remains undeterred when Ryuji turns them down. At one point, Ryuji reaches for Akechi’s plate abandoned at the other end of the table and moves it closer, stealing a fry while he’s at it. Akechi doesn’t comment, simply reaching for one himself and they continue job searching in silence.

 

It’s sort of uncomfortable, the amount of effort Akechi is expending to help out _Ryuji_ of all people, and part of him feels guilty, but this is also the most comfortable he’s felt around him. Sitting side by side browsing through this website and inadvertently sharing food. They end up splitting the sandwich, and once Akechi notices it’s gone, he flags over a waitress, smiling sweetly at her.

 

“Maya-chan, may we get another coffee just like this,” he requests, pointing at Ryuji’s empty mug, “an iced tea for me, and…” he then pauses, looking at Ryuji in question.

 

“Wanna just get more fries?” Ryuji suggests with a shrug.

 

Akechi nods, and Maya finishes writing their order, “Would you like that all on your bill, Himura-kun?”

 

“Yes, please,” he responds and she trots away. He’s back to scanning the job listings, but Ryuji can’t find it in him to focus on that at the moment.

 

“Man, I keep forgetting you’re not, uh, you know,” he comments, and scolds himself when Akechi tenses. Ryuji lowers his voice, leans in close for good measure, “Should I be like, calling you by that name?”

 

Akechi sighs and leans away from the computer, reaching for a fry as a distraction, but comes up empty handed. It’s a good thing they ordered more. With the corners of his mouth turned down in a grimace, Akechi whispers back, “I’d prefer if you did not confuse my coworkers or the patrons of the diner. But if you’d rather call me Akechi elsewhere because that’s how you know me, I won’t stop you.”

 

“Will it alarm anybody or raise suspicions?”

 

Akechi smirks at that, “I don’t think there’s spies lurking in the shadows.” Ryuji still feels unsure, and Akechi continues, “No, if they haven’t found me yet, I doubt they would now. I don’t know why I insist on the other name, I just. Maybe I want to believe that someone could possibly recognize the name Akechi Goro, even if no one has, nor do I want them to.”

 

“It had an impact, at one point. It’s not dumb to think or wish it still could,” Ryuji insists.

 

Akechi looks at him with a frown, “I didn’t say it was dumb.”

 

Ryuji shrugs, “You didn’t have to.”

 

Akechi looks uncomfortable, avoiding eye contact by watching the screen, and quickly welcomes the distraction of accepting their drinks from Maya. After pouring a generous amount of sugar into his iced tea and taking a long sip, Ryuji ventures down another line of curiosity.

 

“No coffee?”

 

Another pause of contemplation before Akechi’s shaking his head, “No, I haven’t had any since...well.”

 

Ryuji kind of feels like smacking himself. “Right,” he mumbles pathetically, letting Akechi scroll through the list for a while.

 

Akechi gives an ominous chuckle and highlights one of the job ads, “Look.”

 

**WANTED: FLOWER SHOP ATTENDANT**

 

“Oh my god,” Ryuji says, exasperated. The only thing that could make this worse is if Ren cannon-balled his way through the window, doing a front handspring followed by a split leap, finishing with a round off and sticking the landing right in front of their faces. He brushes Akechi’s hand off the keyboard the scroll away from the ad aggressively, “Anyway.”

 

He feels Akechi’s judging eyes on him, and he pointedly looks away from him. At the ceiling.

 

“Not too excited about the flower shop job?” Akechi asks cheekily. Ryuji whistles, and he chuckles, letting him off the hook.

 

Ryuji entertains himself by watching the other patrons until Akechi is slapping his arm to get his attention.

 

“If you’re about to show me a Starbucks ad, I swear-”

 

“No, _look_.”

 

Ryuji decides to humor him, reading the newly highlighted job posting.

 

**! LOOKING FOR FRONT DESK RECEPTIONIST FOR IWATODAI UNIVERSITY GYM- FLEXIBLE HOURS !**

 

“It’s perfect,” Akechi declares confidently, but Ryuji sighs despondently.

 

“Receptionist? Don’t they gotta like, answer phones and stuff?”

 

“Okay, listen, I am giving you the best job you’re going to find,” Akechi stresses, going as far as turning around in his chair to face Ryuji. “Receptionists sit on their asses all day, do the bare minimum, and are borderline security guards. It’ll be easy on your leg and you’ll have plenty of time to do your homework. What more could you ask for?”

 

Ryuji fidgets, scratching his head, “It just sounds too good to be true. I doubt I’m qualified for it, I have no experience.”

 

Akechi huffs and grabs the laptop forcibly, opening the resume file back up, “That’s why I’m here. I volunteered my services, did I not?”

 

“Well, yeah, but-”

 

“This is what I’m good at,” Akechi says seriously. “Creating an idealized version of yourself to present for someone else’s approval. I think I can manage to make you presentable enough to be hired by a goddamn gym.”

 

Ryuji hesitates, still feeling the need to contradict him, “I just don’t want you to put in so much effort and have it not work out.”

 

“Then you apply elsewhere. It’s not a difficult concept,” Akechi retorts, already moving on to typing on the nearly blank document. “Describe ‘Social Media Campaigning’ to me.”

 

“There’s nothing to tell,” Ryuji replies moodily, “It was a bullshit club I joined so I wouldn’t have to be in any clubs. The guy used it as an excuse to stream his mmorpgs with people.”

 

He watches Akechi type _interpersonal online correspondence_. His eyes widen, “Uh, I really don’t think it was anything like that.”

 

Akechi continues typing, unperturbed, “Obviously. But the interviewers don’t need to know that. As long as it sounds impressive, you should be fine.”

 

“That sounds an awful lot like lying to me.”

 

That gets Akechi to stop with an annoyed sigh, “It’s not. It’s describing the truth in colorful enough language that even clueless adults will find it worthwhile.”

 

“But I don’t wanna advertise something that I’m not. Even if I get an interview, they’re gonna know I’m not who I say I am.”

 

Akechi looks at him, deadpanned, “You’re overestimating how much employers pay attention. They’re all self-centered, they’re only concerned with what you can do for them. As long as you focus on that, they don’t care who you are.”

 

Ryuji feels his breathing quicken in frustration, “Is that how you feel about Auntie?”

 

Akechi gives him a look, incredulous like he can’t believe this is the way Ryuji is taking things. He holds his ground. “Once I told Auntie I had open availability and more than one year of customer service experience, I was nearly hired on the spot. You sound as if I deceived her.”

 

Akechi looks as if he has plenty more to say, but Maya comes by with their fries and interrupts the tension. He glares at Ryuji before grabbing a handful and stuffing his face. The action surprises Ryuji, and he can’t help but laugh at it.

 

“You’re a stubborn son of a bitch,” he chuckles, reaching for his coffee.

 

“Calling the kettle black.” Akechi looks at the computer pensively, wiping his hands off delicately on a napkin before clicking back to the job description. “If you look here, you can see exactly what they are looking for. I can plug in what applies to you into your resumé, put in the buzzwords that they are specifically looking for. If anything sounds too outrageous, let me know, and I’ll change it. Does that sound fair?”

 

Ryuji nods appreciatively, and Akechi copies the motion before sliding the laptop closer to him. Ryuji watches him quietly, making comments here or there. Akechi is surprisingly patient even after their disagreement, and the two work together to finish something that is professional enough to Akechi’s liking and honest enough to Ryuji’s.

 

Akechi slides the laptop to him, sitting back in his chair with relaxed poise, “The rest is up to you. Let me know how it goes and if you want interview advice.”

 

Ryuji packs it away when he sees just how dark it is outside, planning on submitting the application tomorrow. “Thank you, really, I appreciate it. I’m sorry I gave you so much crap.”

 

Akechi’s smile is small, “It’s alright, we got it done in the end.”

 

Ryuji stands to leave, but hesitates, scrambling to find something else to say and prolong the night, “And thanks for the food too. I owe you. Again.”

 

Akechi hums, “We seem to be trapped in an endless cycle of repaying favors.”

 

“We could just call it friendship instead.”

 

Akechi looks at him with a perfectly poised expression, coming off cold and distant. Ryuji wonders how he really feels. “Why would we do that?”

 

“Who else is gonna bully me?” Ryuji jokes, but it falls flat. Akechi remains motionless. “I just had a really fun time tonight, and want to do it more often. You’re difficult to talk to sometimes, but you have interesting ideas. I think I could learn from you, and maybe you can learn from me?”

 

Akechi looks away, frowning. Ryuji shuffles his feet, waiting for any signs of a give. He knows Akechi had fun too, even after their disagreement. They came away from it laughing, respecting the other’s point of view and compromising, and that had to count for something.

 

The silence gets unbearable, and Ryuji can’t help but blurt out, “Come over to the dorm sometime.”

 

“What?” Akechi looks at him with wide eyes.

 

“The- the guys are trying to plan an onigiri day. It’s the only thing anybody knows how to make. I can’t properly thank you with a night out, so I can make you food instead? We can celebrate properly if I get a job, but for now…” He trails off pathetically, shoving his hands in his pockets.

 

He’s about to rescind the offer when Akechi sighs shakily, “Sure.”

 

“Great. Cool. Cool.” Ryuji laughs awkwardly, “Uh, what’s your work schedule like?”

 

“I’m closing for the next bit, I won’t get out until late into the evening. I’ll let you know when I have a day off or an evening free,” he answers slowly.

 

“Sure, yeah. Uh. How?”

 

Akechi blinks, then exclaims, “Oh, right. No phone. There’s a public phone in the lobby I can use.”

 

Ryuji nods for too long, before realizing he needs to give him his number. “Hang on,” he mumbles, digging in his backpack for a piece of paper for something to write with. After scribbling the number down, he hands it over to Akechi and watches him fold the paper neatly, slipping it into his pocket.

 

“Cool,” he declares too loudly afterwards. More softly, he says, “Cool. I’ll, uh, see you around.”

 

Akechi gives him an uncomfortable wave and he leaves the diner briskly, only relaxing once he’s out of the building. He’s unsure why that felt so weird, or why his heart’s beating out of his chest, but he chooses to be proud of himself for following through and inviting Akechi over. Even though they still ended up eating dinner, the change of pace felt good for them, and he now has higher hope of bonding with him moving forward.

 

And because he’s not one for keeping secrets…

 

**Who’s that gemini?!**

 

**You: mysterious gemini is coming over soon**

 

**Panther <3: to the dorm?!**

**Joker: awooo helloooo nurse**

**Oracle: congrats you stud**

 

**You: aint nothing like that. All good fun.**

 

**Oracle: uh huh**

**Noir: Make sure you are being safe sane and consensual! :)**

 

**You: holy hell haru**

 

He looks back inside the diner and watches the workers closing up for the night. “Wait a second,” he mumbles under his breath, turning his gaze to Akechi talking casually with his coworkers, definitely not in uniform. Did he lie about having a shift for today? They catch eyes through the glass of the window and he looks at Akechi accusingly, who shrugs with an innocent smile.

 

“You son of a bitch,” he mutters, a grin creeping up on his face.

 

* * *

 

“Ya sure he didn’t blow ya off?” Furuya asks after coming home one night and finding Ryuji lying on one of the couches in the common room, staring at the ceiling. “How many days has it been now?”

 

“Like a week and a half,” Ryuji mumbles. “But it’s fine, he’s busy, I’m busy, we’re all busy.”

 

“Uh-huh,” Furuya hums indulgently, walking by him and ending their conversation.

 

Hinata pauses in his snacking to comment, “It’s been ten days, by the way.”

 

“Isn’t that the same as a week and a half?” Ryuji asks.

 

“Oh, I guess so.”

 

Sitting next to Hinata, Mihashi speaks up, “Have you been by the diner at all?”

 

Ryuji sits up to look at the two of them. His room is between theirs upstairs, and the three of them have consequently bonded the most. Ryuji’s spent most of his time since that night in the diner hanging out with the pair of them to keep his mind off the fact that he’s waiting for Akechi to get in contact with him.

 

“I guess I didn’t wanna pressure him or anything,” Ryuji explains, “It was kind of awkward when I asked him to come over.”

 

“He sounds like the most timid guy ever,” a deep voice booms from the kitchen. Aomine steps out with a bowl of microwave ramen in his hands, “Has this guy never had friends in his life?”

 

Ryuji doesn’t respond fast enough, and Hinata nearly chokes on his food in a gasp, “Is this why things are so weird between you two?! Because he had that one friend who was not you, and he was his only friend, but that guy’s gone so now you’re there but it’s not the same?!”

 

“Breathe,” Mihashi reminds him.

 

“You’re making it sound like he’s a weird, creepy dude and he’s not,” Ryuji insists. “It’s just. Complicated.”

 

“How?” Hinata implores.

 

Ryuji doesn’t feel like explaining, so they stare each other down. Hinata’s impossible to beat in staring contests, though, so Ryuji ends up exclaiming, “I don’t know! It’s too _complicated_ to explain!” He stresses the word ‘complicated’ between clenched teeth, and Hinata waves his hands in an exaggerated motion before letting the conversation trail off.

 

Ryuji turns to his phone, scrolling mindlessly. Yusuke’s planning out his next piece in the group chat, so only Ren and Haru are really responding. Futaba keeps beating his score in Words With Friends, so he gives up playing very quickly. Ann’s texting him several gift ideas for Ren’s birthday, even though it’s already passed and he’s only responding half-heartedly.

 

Then, the phone rings with a call from a number he doesn’t know. He drops it in surprise, and it lands squarely on his face. Ryuji moves about clumsily until he’s sitting up and pressing the green button.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hi, it’s me,” Akechi’s voice comes in the other line.

 

“Hey, how are you doing?” He asks casually, blatantly ignoring Hinata’s wild gestures wondering who it is and Mihashi’s desperate attempts to keep him in his seat.

 

“Tired,” Akechi answers with an honest laugh. Ryuji smiles, wondering if it’s easier for him this way if nobody can see his face. “But I’ve been blessed with an evening off this Friday, if your dorm mates were still wanting to have company over.”

 

“Yeah, definitely,” Ryuji responds a little too quickly, “People are always welcome, it’s a pretty big place, actually.”

 

“Should I bring anything over?”

 

“Nah, just you is alright. I can pick you up, walk you over here.”

 

“Alright.” Akechi pauses. “Thank you.”

 

“Yeah.” They hang up, and Ryuji makes quick work in programming the phone number in, making notes so he remembers not to text it or call without warning.

 

“So, uh…” Hinata asks, anything but subtle, “Who was that?”

 

“My friend,” Ryuji responds, looking away from his phone to the two of them, “He’s free to come over Friday, if that’s okay with everyone?”

 

Mihashi nods, “It should be fine. We should go shopping tomorrow for what we need. I’ll go with Tezuka.”

 

* * *

 

The following days until Friday pass without any sort of significance, and come day of, Ryuji doesn’t bother waiting around at home, heading straight to the diner after his classes. He spots Akechi almost immediately as soon as he’s in the door, rushing by him with a tall pile of dishware he’s somehow managing to balance.

 

“Hi, hello,” Akechi greets, frazzled.

 

“Hey,” Ryuji greets back, “How the hell are you carrying all of that?”

 

“Very carefully,” he answers, starting to step away. “Go ahead and sit at the bar, hopefully I’ll be done soon.”

 

With that, he briskly walks away. Ryuji does as he’s told, trying no to look too relaxed and not like he’s obviously loitering. He definitely keeps his eyes off the menus next to him and above the bar.

 

Auntie sidles up in front of him, catching his eye with a knowing smirk, “Do you have plans with Himura-kun this evening?” He nods in affirmation and she chuckles, her suspicion having been confirmed. “He surprised me when he asked to have his shift switched to the morning for today, even though I had him close last night. I felt bad, but he’s still as diligent as ever and claimed he didn’t mind.”

 

“I’m sorry if I caused trouble by making plans with him,” Ryuji apologizes out of instinct.

 

She waves it off.  “I’m not bothered at all. The kid needs to have some fun.”

 

As if summoned by the discussion, Akechi walks out and stops next to the bar, eyes searching it and throughout the diner for anything else that needs to be done. Auntie waves to get his attention, the gestures to the door, “You’re good for the day. Go on.”

 

“Are you sure?” He asks, chest heaving from exertion. She reaches for her towel over her shoulder and he takes a placating step back, “Alright, alright I’m going.”  He meet Ryuji’s eyes, mouth twitching with a repressed smile. “Let me change out of my uniform.”

 

Once he’s gone through a door leading to the back, Auntie looks at Ryuji with a contemplative gaze, “You know, he’s never asked for anything like this before. Has never asked for a day off, called off sick, nothing. But then all of a sudden he’s reaching out to me about switching shifts so he can have _tonight_ off. And he’s told me several times,” she pulls a face, as if what she’s describing has been an annoyance, “Several times. That he’ll make up for the inconvenience in any way he can.”

 

He looks at her, thrown off by this information that she’s giving to him, and her face softens, “I think you need to be aware of this. He might not show it, but whatever you have planned means quite a bit to him.”

 

Ryuji contemplates how to respond to that statement, but then Akechi’s coming back out while brushing his fingers through his hair. He took hardly any time at all, as if he just did the bare minimum so he could come back out as quickly as possible. Auntie gives Ryuji another knowing smile and Ryuji stands, wanting to leave her presence as quickly as possible. Akechi’s made sure he can’t work through what she’s told him in secrecy, but he knows it’s making his heart race anxiously.

 

Luckily, Akechi follows his lead and they’re waving goodbye and heading out.

 

They spend the walk to Ryuji’s dorm making light small talk about how their day went. There was an older customer who was unnecessarily needy that Akechi complains about with such a crude vocabulary that Ryuji has to grip his sides he’s laughing so hard. In exchange, Ryuji attempts to explain what his biology professor was lecturing about in his earlier class, and Akechi seems to be following along perfectly. But when Ryuji stops speaking and looks at him, Akechi simply shrugs.

 

“I’ll take your word for it,” he says with a laugh. “Science was my least understood subject. I had to cram before tests in order to pass, which lead to the knowledge leaving me shortly afterwards.”

 

“All those criminal shows always talk about like alcohol content in victims and stuff, that’s all chemistry,” Ryuji says with a tilt of his head. It’s honestly hard to imagine Akechi struggling with anything, the way he seemed so perfect all the time.

 

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Akechi responds, leaning in, conspiratorial. Their shoulders bump together, but neither of them comments on it. “Policemen are your standard normies, right?” Ryuji reels back slightly hearing _Akechi Goro_ say the word ‘ _normies_.’ Akechi laughs at his expression before continuing, “So then by that logic, us detectives are the jocks of the precinct. But the lab techs? Nerds.”

 

Ryuji raises an eyebrow, “I’m sure the lab techs feel differently.”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

The conversation trails off, but there’s one lingering thought Ryuji decides to voice out loud, “So did that make you the star quarterback, back in the day?”

 

A surprised laugh escapes Akechi, and he puts a hand over his mouth. It seems like that’s his favorite move, as of late. Ryuji supposes it’s meant to be endearing, show-casing politeness and humility, but Ryuji would rather Akechi just let himself go uninhibited, especially since they’re just walking around outside.

 

He decides to let it go for now when Akechi answers, “I suppose so. I certainly ended up like one, washed up after the glorious high school days.”

 

“You’re not washed up,” Ryuji immediately counters somberly.

 

“It was a joke,” he reassures with a sharp smirk, “I didn’t even graduate high school.”

 

Ryuji keeps quiet, not wanting to go down this path in the conversation. Akechi thankfully takes the hint and drops it, and they’re rounding the corner to Ryuji’s street. Akechi slows down a little, taking in the sights of the large trees and the brick buildings. Ryuji busies himself with getting his keys out of his pocket.

 

“Cute,” Akechi comments, stepping behind Ryuji where he’s about to open the door. He tilts his head when Ryuji hesitates.

 

“Do you wanna be called Akechi or Himura?” He asks him, voice low. For all he knows, Hinata is just on the other side of the door, waiting with bated breath.

 

Akechi frowns like he doesn’t understand why Ryuji’s even asking, “Well, have you talked about me before?”

 

“Yeah, but I kept it vague. You know, like, ‘my friend.’”

 

“Of course you did,” he mumbles with a roll of his eyes. “Well, I think I can introduce myself, thank you very much.”

 

“Alright,” Ryuji grumbles back before pushing the door open. There’s the sounds of the TV in the common room going, with a few of the guys working on homework at the coffee table. There’s some clanking coming from the kitchen, telltale signs that a few of them have started making onigiri already. Ryuji drops his backpack down somewhere before leading Akechi to the table for introductions.

 

“Hey,” he greets the common room.

 

“Welcome back,” one of them, Tezuka, greets before turning his head almost right away to Akechi, “Are you the friend?”

 

Akechi bows his head slightly with a charming smile, master of first impressions, “Akechi Goro. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

 

Everyone around the table states their names while Ryuji stares at the TV to avoid reacting too obviously to his introduction. The way he talked about the stage name that one night at the diner sort of left Ryuji thinking that Akechi harbored an aversion towards it, but he did also give Ryuji permission to use it instead of his true name if Ryuji wished. Come to think of it, Akechi didn’t seem to think positively of _Himura Koji_ , either.

 

So maybe he introduced himself as “Akechi” because of that permission he gave, but Ryuji finds himself racking his brain for any hint if Akechi prefers one name or the other. He should be able to be called what he wants, whatever makes him most comfortable.

 

He doesn’t realize that he’s thinking so hard about this until there’s a tapping on his shoulder. He turns away from the TV and Akechi’s nudging him towards the kitchen, “Tezuka-kun thinks we should help out in the kitchen.”

 

Ryuji looks around them and sure enough, Tezuka is gone, while everyone else is back to their business at the table. The only one watching TV, Sakuragi, nods at him as if to confirm Akechi’s words. Ryuji shakes his head, appalled at himself for spacing out so bad and takes a deep breath, ushering Akechi to the kitchen.

 

This room proves to be a louder and more chaotic environment than the common room, with the rest of the dorm mates trying to squeeze in around the counter to get to the rice and other fixings for onigiri. Ryuji spots Hinata and Mihashi a little ways away from them all, and he heads in their direction to avoid the larger crowd.

 

“Hi!” Hinata greets enthusiastically, mouth full of rice, “I’m Hinata, this is Mihashi.”

 

Mihashi waves meekly and Akechi introduces himself in the same manner as before, raising his voice just enough to be heard over everyone else and their dishes clanking.

 

“Hungry?” Hinata asks, but Akechi politely declines.

 

“I can wait for everyone to eat together,” he insists with a charming smile. Hinata finishes the rest of his onigiri in one bite, chewing with a prying gaze.

 

“He didn’t wait, you don’t have to,” Ryuji laughs, going to brave the crowd behind them. He takes a quick glance at the set up on the counter over everyone’s shoulders before turning back to Akechi, who’s been following closely. “You like seafood, yeah? You want tuna mayo or salmon?”

 

Akechi hesitates like he’s going to remain polite, but then he answers gratefully, “Salmon.”

 

Ryuji nods with a grin before making their presence known with his signature loud voice and sharp elbows, pushing his way through and announcing that they have a guest. The guys barely quiet down, but they do make room for the two of them to get their hands washed in the sink.

 

One dorm mate inches his way over, getting Akechi’s attention, “Hi, I’m Katsuki. I’m making the salmon onigiri if you’d like to help me? I couldn’t help but overhear,” he smiles kindly at both of them, and Ryuji returns it.

 

Then Akechi is getting dragged off through the line, and Tezuka and Katsuki keep his attention. Ryuji focuses on getting to the umeboshi to make his own onigiri, mouth watering at all of the smells.

 

He ends up in between Aomine and Sasagawa, easily the two tallest guys in the dorm. They played basketball together in high school and one followed the other here, so it’s been apparent from the beginning of the school year that they’re inseparable.

 

Ryuji hasn’t talked to either of them much since moving in, usually preoccupied with the group chat or Akechi. If he’s home, he’s usually talking to Hinata and Mihashi due to their proximity and Hinata seeking him out. Aside from them, he’s talked to the other people on their floor, Makishima, Nagisa, and Tezuka, but mostly about job searching. So he hasn’t had a chance to even have one conversation with anyone from the other floor, including Aomine and Sasagawa.

 

Ryuji feels a bit uncomfortable between the two of them now, especially given just how much they both tower over him. He knows he’s not all that short, just as tall as Ren with Yusuke and Akechi only being just a tad taller, but these two guys are on a whole other level. He almost offers to move so the two friends can be next to each other, but Aomine speaks before he can, jerking his head in Akechi’s direction.

 

“He doesn’t seem so timid in person.”

 

“I didn’t say he was, more like I wasn’t sure if this was his type of crowd. I mean we didn’t get along at first, so I was worried.” Both an understatement and a half-truth, since he’s still not sure if Akechi wants him around most of the time. He looks over at where Aomine’s head is turned, watching Akechi chat easily with Tezuka and Katsuki. If he notices that he’s got the entire room’s attention, several pairs of eyes aside from Ryuji’s and Aomine’s flicking to him curiously, he draws no attention to it.

 

“I think he fits in perfectly,” Aomine comments, scooping up some tuna for his own onigiri. “Feel free to bring him around more often.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah,” Ryuji agrees, hesitant. He’ll see how the rest of the evening goes, but so far, it’s going well, and he’s glad for that.

 

Hinata’s voice then pierces through the room in its sheer volume when he shrieks, “Look at that”

 

Akechi looks mildly alarmed and sheepish as the guys gather around him. Hinata tugs on his wrist forcibly, making him hold up his finished onigiri with a perfect triangle shape.

 

“Dude,” Sasagawa says in awe. He took the words right out of Ryuji’s mouth, but he stands there smug instead of showing it, as if he knew Akechi could make the most perfect ball of rice ever.

 

Akechi catches his eye and raises his eyebrows, questioning. Ryuji mimics the expression and stays right where he is, knowing that Akechi’s got everyone in this room charmed. He’s the center of attention for the remainder of making enough onigiri to feed a small army, as well as when all of them gather in the common room to eat in front of the TV.

 

Hinata barely waits to swallow the food in his mouth before he’s asking, “So what are you majoring in, Akechi?”

 

Akechi, meanwhile, does take his time answering, chewing thoughtfully with a hand covering his mouth, “I’m not.”

 

“Undecided,” Sakuragi nods with a lazy grin, “Me too, man.”

 

“No, no, I’m not going to school.” Akechi seems unfazed by the awkward silence that follows, quickly adding with a light smile, “It’s not something that I will find benefit in. I’m perfectly content remaining in the workforce.”

 

If anyone else said that, Ryuji’s sure his dorm mates would hold judgment over them, but Akechi has experience charming a large group even while preaching sketchy opinions. He shakes his hair out of his face and gives a laugh, sitting up proud when the others join in. Ryuji rolls his eyes at the display and indulges himself in another umeboshi onigiri. At least they’re all getting along.

 

“I am curious about what you’re all studying, though,” Akechi continues once everyone quiets down. “What sort of majors are you all in to be gathered together here?”

 

“Sports, mostly,” Hinata answers.

 

“Tezuka and I are baseball players,” Mihashi supplies. “Aomine and Sasagawa play basketball.”

 

“Ah, I should have guessed,” Akechi turns towards the two in question, “What with the height.”

 

“You play anything?” Aomine asks.

 

“I’ve hung around the batting cages once or twice.”

 

Batting cages? Ryuji frowns. In all fairness, there are hundreds of batting cages in Shibuya, but there’s one that immediately comes to mind. The one by Leblanc.

 

Ryuji lets it lie, letting Mihashi and Tezuka bond with Akechi over the best ones to go in Iwatodai. He can’t sit still for very long, however, and he leans in to talk to with the guy next to him, Yamamoto, “What’s the deal with baseball?”

 

“What do you mean?” He asked, scrolling through his phone mindlessly.

 

Ryuji pouts. He’s not exactly sure what he means, actually. “Like. What kind of people play baseball?”

 

That gets Yamamoto to look up. Ryuji watches his head turn to him, then turn to Akechi pointedly, before landing back on him.

 

“What?” Ryuji shuffles, self conscious.

 

“Akechi is not a baseball player,” Yamamoto answers, deadpan. “He’s more like a badminton player.”

 

“What the hell is badminton?”

 

“Really?”

 

“Shut up and tell me.”

 

“Posh. Snobby. Fancypants. Whatever similar words you can think of.”

 

Ryuji reels back with a frown, “That’s my friend you’re talking about.” He pauses, considering, “I mean, you’re right, but you don’t have a right to be that on the nose about him. You met him an hour ago.”

 

Yamamoto shrugs, a pathetic attempt at an apology, “He’s not as sly as he first seems.”

 

Ryuji huffs at that, then looks back to observe Akechi to see if he can catch what Yamamoto is suggesting. Akechi has seemed normal, almost back to his old self since entering the dorm, but now with Ryuji watching closely, he catches instances of hesitation. There are fleeting moments of contemplation before Akechi answers anyone, where he was much more quick-witted back in the day. Ryuji remember it was frustrating trying to argue logic with him, he was always right on his opponent with a retort. Even Makoto would give up relatively quickly after conversing with him.

 

Except Ren. Akechi and Ren would talk about pretty much anything for hours, particularly when they were exploring Mementos. Their leader had reasoned that he was keeping Akechi distracted, perhaps giving them an opportunity to catch him slipping up and revealing his true colors, but the two were always perfectly level-headed, neither of them giving in.

 

Now, Akechi hums and tilts his head with an air of consideration, and it’s almost as if Ryuji can actually see cogs turning. He’s been playing at Himura Koji for who knows how long, but the mask he’s wearing now has been collecting dust, and Akechi hasn’t quite recuperated from that.

 

Ryuji shuffles, wanting to move, get out of the room, or _something_. This is different than how he and Akechi have interacted before, and he thought it was better at first, but maybe he’s driven Akechi even more into a corner by pulling him into an environment with so many new people. Most of the dorm mates are entranced with him, asking him all sorts of questions that he has to lie through his teeth about. Ryuji’s had the impression that Akechi’s hostility towards him might not be completely authentic, but the plasticity of his words and actions now feel especially shiny under the overhead lights.

 

Ryuji knows he’s been zoning out in Akechi’s direction too long when the other catches his eye, expression tight. They’re too far apart in the room to have any sort of a private conversation, so Ryuji stands with as much subtlety as he can, nodding his head in the direction of the stairs at the far end of the room.

 

He heads that way, not bothering to see if Akechi is following him until he reaches the stairs, stopping to take a deep breath.

 

Akechi did follow, and he also exhales deeply with a shaky laugh, “I probably should have guessed this would be like hanging out with twelve of you.”

 

“I’m really sorry, man,” Ryuji begins, but Akechi shakes his head.

 

“Don’t be, nothing I can’t handle. Although, now that we’re away, I would very much like a cigarette.”

 

Ryuji pauses to think, before grinning slyly, “Let me give you a tour of the place.”

 

After climbing the first set of stairs, Ryuji stops to point at the row of rooms, “Mine’s down there, so is Mihashi and Hinata and Tezuka.”

 

“You know, if it weren’t for their different last names, I would almost guess Mihashi and Hinata were brothers.”

 

Ryuji leans against the wall, removing some pressure from his knee, “Yeah, they got close pretty quick. Funny, considering Hinata knows shit about baseball.”

 

“People are allowed to have other interests,” Akechi replies with a teasing smirk.

 

“Mihashi really does like it though. I think he’d legit love to take you to the batting cages.”

 

Akechi’s smile becomes earnest, “I’ll consider it.”

 

After a moment, Ryuji can’t help but pry, “I didn’t know you went to batting cages.”

 

He turns more reserved, but he answers, “It was a good way to get out aggression. Of which, I had an abundance of. But it was required accuracy and precision, so it felt good if I could get myself to hit the target properly.”

 

“Ren always talked about proficiency,” Ryuji mutters, then clamps his mouth shut.

 

“Yes, he did.”

 

Ryuji decides this as good a time as any, gesturing towards the stairs once more, “Going up.”

 

Akechi allows the conversation to drop without comment, listening keenly as Ryuji briefly names off the people living on the third floor, and follows him up again to the fourth floor.

 

“How’s your leg doing?” Akechi asks, heading towards the pair of chairs close to the top of the stairs.

 

“It’ll be fine after I sit for a sec,” Ryuji reassures, taking a seat. “I’m not up here often, obviously.”

 

“What is up here?” He nods towards the single door making up the entire floor, “That’s quite mysterious if you ask me.”

 

“It’s some meeting room, we think. We’re not quite sure. But it has this big-ass screen built in to the wall, so we hijacked it to make it a gaming room. Yamamoto knows how to build computers or something, figured it all out.”

 

“Did he find any secret files?” Akechi teases.

 

Ryuji shrugs, “Maybe, you’d have to ask him.”

 

“I’m curious as to why they’ve have another meeting room up here when there’s the common room on the first floor,” Akechi speculates, hand moving up to under his chin. “That gives the impression they had something to hide, or things to discuss in secret.”

 

Ryuji chuckles, “Nagisa would be all over this. He loves conspiracy theories.”

 

“Some have validity,” Akechi argues with a slight pout.

 

Ryuji raises an eyebrow, “Like what, aliens?”

 

“Like aliens,” Akechi nods seriously.

 

Considering, Ryuji tilts his head, “Actually, yeah, there’s no way we’re alone.”

 

“The truth is out there,” Akechi smirks, wiggling his fingers.

 

Ryuji shakes his head with a roll of his eyes, standing up, “One last floor, I swear.” He reaches up toward the ceiling and pulls down a hidden ladder, opening the access to the roof. They both haul themselves up, and Ryuji makes a beeline for the edge to sit and look out over the Iwatodai cityscape, lit gorgeously against the night sky.

 

He glances back at Akechi, doubling back when he sees him standing frozen in the middle of the roof. He seems shaken, like he wants to move, but he can’t. Ryuji starts to stand back up to help him, “You alright?”

 

Akechi shakes himself out of whatever he was going through when he hears Ryuji, stepping towards him, “Fine. Sorry.” He sits next to Ryuji, who follows his movements warily.

 

“You sure?”

 

Akechi is slower to answer, keeping his eyes trained on the city spread out before them. Finally, he says, “There are several parts of the city like this roof. It’s as if there’s something calling out. A whisper of something long gone. Sometimes it’s easy to miss. Other times, it’s like a bone-chilling shriek.”

 

Ryuji says nothing, watching Akechi’s eyes look so far away. He almost worries that he’s not actually here, and that he should do something to tether him, bring him back. He scrambles for any sort of response and comes up with, “That sounds like a persona.”

 

Akechi blinks and turns back to him, mouth turning up in a shadow of a reassuring smile, “Maybe. I’m not too sure myself. But you have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

 

Ryuji cringes in how helpless his answer is going to be, “The alleys are kinda creepy sometimes?”

 

Akechi huffs, “That’s fair.”

 

“I’m sorry I can’t be more help with this,” Ryuji huffs in frustration. Pulling at straws, he suggests, “Do you think we’re haunted?”

 

Akechi blinks, but his body relaxes and he smirks with a conspiratory whisper, “It’s possible. I did see a pale little boy wandering around downstairs.”

 

Ryuji shivers, “Dude, please don’t even joke about that.”

 

Akechi laughs and Ryuji ends up joining in, watching as Akechi reaches for the cigarette pack in his pocket.  He opens it, and chuckles, “Last one.”

 

“But you can buy more soon, right?” Ryuji asks.

 

Akechi tilts his head, smile secretive, “Can I now?”

 

Ryuji’s eyes widen realizing what he’s just done. Attempting to save face, he elaborates, “I mean. Assuming that your birthday might be coming up soon possibly. But I don’t know.”

 

Too much, he yells at himself as Akechi’s grin grows sharp. He lights his last cigarette, taking a drag and blowing away from him. After a long pause that has Ryuji sweating, he asks, “You googled me, didn’t you?”

 

But Ryuji’s not one for lying, so he sighs in defeat, “Sorry.”

 

Akechi shrugs, holding out the cigarette for Ryuji, who declines as usual. It’s more of a formality at this point. “I would have been surprised if you didn’t, to be fair. It’s really quite too easy to do, after all. However, are you sure that’s my true birth date?”

 

Ryuji mulls it over, answer unsure, “Yes?”

 

Akechi considers him, leaving the silence hanging before he gives, “It is. The easiest way to lie is by not lying as much as possible. You have a foundation that you then build off of, and the snippets of truth make it that much more difficult to refute the fabrications.”

 

“Huh,” Ryuji replies.

 

Without anything else added to the conversation, Akechi goes on to watch the skyline as his cigarette burns away, and Ryuji is content to just watch and share the moment. They keep the moment going even after Akechi stubs the cigarette out against the pavement, as Ryuji is sure they’re going to be found by someone any minute now. Sure enough, the latch to the fourth floor opens again, and Mihashi sticks his head out timidly.

 

“We all moved upstairs to play Mario Kart,” he explains, “If you wanna come down and join us.”

 

Ryuji turns to Akechi, leaving the decision up to him. He rolls his eyes playfully before standing up, “Let’s go socialize with your friends.”

 

He holds a hand out and Ryuji takes the help gratefully, feeling the pull in his knee and he barely conceals a wince. Akechi eyes him with a squint, but doesn’t say anything, allowing Ryuji to keep his big manly dignity. Mihashi’s head disappears and the two follow him down. After closing off access to the roof, everyone’s voices come through the fourth floor meeting room with almost perfect clarity. Ryuji takes one last moment to linger with just the two of them, looking Akechi over to try and gauge his mood.

 

The break away from everyone and the nicotine in his system has relaxed Akechi’s body language. He’s standing more leisurely, his shoulders are no longer climbing up to his ears, and Ryuji breathes a sigh of relief.

 

Akechi smiles when he catches his eye, “Good now?”

 

“Yeah,” Ryuji nods, opening the door with a sense of recovery. The guys already have the game going on the big screen in the middle of the room, and are currently working on two separate set-ups on either side. He turns to Akechi to explain, “So there’s normally exactly twelve of us, so if we do online play, we can all play together.”

 

“This is quite impressive,” Akechi says in awe. “How did you get all of this together?”

 

“Sakuragi and I brought a lot of this stuff from our homes,” Yamamoto answers, moving about the room to check that everything is in order. “None of us can resist light-hearted competition or team building exercises, and this room is weirdly perfect technologically, so it’s like it’s meant to be.”

 

“I say it’s well-worth it for all of us to get together at least once a week to play,” Furuya chimes in.

 

Akechi’s smile is carefully polite, but he turns his gaze to Ryuji’s leg with hard eyes. Feeling the need to defend the dorm mates and himself, Ryuji reassures, “I can handle the stairs once a week. Plus I kinda bring it on myself, too, since I go up to the roof from time to time anyway.”

 

Akechi hums, keeping his judgment trained on him, and Ryuji begins to chuckle nervously.

 

“Anyway, who’s gonna sit out?” Ryuji asks the room in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

 

Mihashi and Makishima raise their hands simultaneously, and Mihashi shrinks from Makishima’s furrowed brow.

 

“I’m clearly busy,” Makishima says in a monotone, holding up his notebook as evidence.

 

Hinata shoves a controller in his other hand, and the brash action causes the notebook to fall to the ground. He grins sheepishly before he says petulantly, “You sat out last time. You have to play.”

 

Makishima stares him down, but few are strong enough to overpower Hinata’s wide and unfaltering gaze. He gives in and stands up, moving to one of the groups to the side with a roll of his eyes and an exaggerated, “Fine.”

 

A relieved sigh escapes Mihashi and he holds out a controller for Akechi, “Top four get the big screen, but you’re a guest, so you’ll take the first spot.”

 

Ryuji ushers Akechi to sit next to him on the couch in the middle, hands already clenching around his own plastic wheel in excitement, “It’ll be you, me, Aomine, and Hinata.” Aomine takes a seat on the other side of Akechi, while Hinata sprawls out on the ground in front of them.

 

“Middle tier is over there,” Aomine adds on, pointing to the group on his side consisting of Sakuragi, Yamamoto, Furuya, and Tezuka. “And then the losing tier,” he finishes with a smirk, sticking his tongue out at Sasagawa while Katsuki and Nagisa look back with a look of whimsy and cluelessness. Makishima’s still got his eyes trained on the ceiling, in the midst of his longest eye roll to date.

 

Akechi’s eyes trail across the room, as if making mental notes on everyone’s faces and their names. Ryuji half-wonders if he’s better at remembering people after working criminal cases and coming into contact with many people in passing, and files the question away for a later time.

 

“Have you played before?” He asks him, somewhat hushed as if it’s just them in the room.

 

“Once or twice,” Akechi responds with an air of confidence. Oh, Ryuji’s going to have fun finding out if he’s a sore loser or not. “I suppose you’re skilled, given your ranking.”

 

“I’m number one,” he boasts, puffing his chest out. “I think I know better than anyone here how to be the fastest.”

 

“Sometimes speed isn’t everything,” Aomine leans in, smirking at him past Akechi.

 

Akechi rises to the challenge, back straightening as he grips the controller tightly. Hinata’s been getting the online play ready, and everyone goes about picking their characters and vehicle settings.

 

Mihashi comes around behind the couch, muttering to Akechi tips and teaching him the basics. Ryuji sees that Akechi is listening, head nodding ever so slightly, but he keeps his eyes glued to the screen to give the impression to the others that he knows what he’s doing. Ryuji keeps his smile subdued and leans back in his seat, a picture of ease.

 

The first round goes as it usually does, with everyone getting back in the groove of playing the game. The ranks stay pretty much the same aside from Akechi, who ends up squarely in the middle. His body releases its tension once he passes over the finish line and his head tilts, no doubt making notes on how to improve next round.

 

“You gotta drift more,” Ryuji suggests, off-hand. Akechi glances at him, but says nothing, expression blank in a way that could interpreted as a lack of acknowledgement or concealed confusion. Mihashi leans in slowly and points at one of the buttons on top of the controller, whispering that it will help him make turns faster.

 

Akechi stares at the controller thoughtfully, which allows Ryuji to give Mihashi a thankful nod over his head. Some personalities make critique easier to swallow, and he’s glad Mihashi is one of those types, even for someone as stubborn and resilient to help as Akechi.

 

As the rounds go, the room gets louder and louder as the competition heats up, people yelling at each other for playing aggressively, others groaning in frustration. Akechi stays relatively silent, until one particular round that has him nearly finishing in first place, only for Ryuji to take the lead in the last few moments.

 

“OH I NEARLY-” Akechi cuts himself off, body curling up with a boiling rage. Ryuji cackles next to him.

 

“That was really close, dude,” he congrats in between giggles.

 

Akechi glares at him, “I don’t wanna hear it. I can’t believe you, using a red shell on me.”

 

“What am I supposed to do, _not_ try and win?” Ryuji retorts, grin growing wider and wider. Akechi opens his mouth like he’ll continue the argument, but he turns back to the screen instead. Shuffling to the edge of his seat in fiery determination and low grumbling.

 

“Let’s make this interesting,” Aomine says lowly, mildly menacing. His cursor hovers over the tracks until it lands on Rainbow Road before hitting confirm.

 

Both side groups give loud groans of disapprovement. Hinata and Aomine high five while cackling.

 

“This one hardly has any edges, so you gotta be careful about falling,” Mihashi advises behind Akechi, giving Ryuji the impression of a coach hyping up his wrestler before a fight.

 

He laughs before nudging his leg against Akechi with, “Good luck to you.”

 

He answers with a hard boiled, “I won’t need luck to win against you.”

 

It should chill Ryuji to the bone, it should make him think of their fight in the engine room and fill him with dread or worry for everyone’s safety. It should make him distrusting of this man who has done so many horrible things for the wrong reasons; this man who is pretty much pressed against his side completely due to the small amount of room on the couch. This man who he let into his home and introduced him to his dorm mates because he wanted to treat him as a friend, wanted to bridge the gap caused by mutual misunderstanding.

 

Ryuji’s smile is quiet and warm when he shakes his head at Akechi, appalled at his tenacity, “Boy do I not wanna be between you and a red shell.”

 

“Oh, no you don’t,” Akechi agreed, mouth turning up, “You’re gonna pay for earlier.”

 

He does manage to stay right on Ryuji’s tail for the first round around the track, eventually makes him fall behind with a red shell as promised, and his body shakes the couch as he bounces excitedly being in first place. Ryuji turns his focus to staying on the track and keeping ahead of everyone else. During the third lap, someone sends out a blue shell to take out Akechi, who actually stands up with a shriek when he’s hit.

 

Ryuji takes first, and Akechi doesn’t recover and make it past the finish line until he’s hit ninth place, watching everyone pass him with his jaw dropped. The race finishes and he collapses on the couch in defeat, eyes distant.

 

“I had it. _I had it_ ,” Akechi mumbles. “And then I lost it.” He turns to Ryuji, staring at him wide-eyed and devastated. Ryuji would laugh, but he looks a lot more pitiful than he expected him to.

 

“Mario Kart destroys friendships,” Ryuji shrugs as sympathetically as he can.

 

Akechi plops his controller in Ryuji’s lap, “I’m done. I can’t play this game anymore. I’ve been defeated most terribly, my ego can’t take much more of this.”

 

Mihashi takes over for Akechi, sitting on the ground next to Hinata. Aomine ends up moving closer to Sasagawa when the three of them shift uncomfortably from the lack of space, and Ryuji and Akechi take the opportunity to spread out. They keep playing for a few more rounds with Akechi watching idly.

 

After the third round or so, Ryuji notices Akechi slouching particularly bonelessly next to him. He hasn’t made any sort of witty commentary at all, and his eyes seem to be drooping tiredly. Auntie had mentioned that she had him working a lot of hours lately, and when Ryuji first came in, Akechi was running around all over the place with how busy he was, seeming like he was barely able to keep track of everything he had to do. And then he had come right over with Ryuji, with hardly a moment of reprieve apart from their time on the roof.

 

So, without a word, Ryuji slides down to the floor, leaving the entire couch available for Akechi to use. When he looks back at him, he’s met with Akechi’s eyebrows knitted tight and head tilted inquisitively.

 

“If you’re tired, feel free to lay down. It’s been a long day for you,” he explains plainly. Akechi looks like he’s going to argue, so Ryuji interrupts, “I’m already on the ground. Everyone’s got somewhere to sit. Just take a load off for a bit, we shouldn’t be playing for too much longer.”

 

He keeps his eyes on Akechi until he sees him give. Sees him lean on his elbows and pull his legs out to extend as much as he can on the couch, pillowing his head on one hand behind Ryuji. Satisfied, he turns back to the game, only to see that everyone’s been waiting for him to select a track. They keep their heads obviously trained away from them and their own private interaction that just seems to keep happening, and Ryuji ducks his head in embarrassment before confirming their next race.

 

The room stays mostly quiet and peaceful anyhow, evident that the mood is winding down and people are gradually getting more and more sleepy. Ryuji keeps winning by a landslide, although Sakuragi seems to be making a comeback today. He’ll definitely reclaim his spot on the big screen the next time they play.

 

After the round finishes, Mihashi gently taps Ryuji’s forearm to get his attention. He nods his head behind him, causing Ryuji to turn to see Akechi fast asleep, breaths deep and face pressed against the throw pillow.

 

Ryuji knows from spending the night at Ren’s that for some, it takes a lot of trust to allow oneself to fall asleep if there are other people in the room. Ren’s never outwardly had a problem with it, nor has he made it apparent to the others, but he has admitted in secrecy to Ryuji that it’s harder for him when he does share a room, or he knows other people are around. He told him that Morgana would have to scold him more often than not to go to bed, especially in the beginning of his time at Leblanc when he couldn’t reasonably wait for Leblanc to close before turning in for the night. He said he usually avoided it by waiting for everyone else to fall asleep first, no matter how tired he was.

 

Ryuji remembers Ren texting him frantically when Yusuke had to stay over after the Madarame incident because he simply would not go to sleep until Ren did. And he had somehow known that Ren was still awake even after the lights were out. Ryuji was thankful for both of their sakes when Yusuke kept his stay limited to the one night. And at the hotel in Hawaii, Ryuji had to really convince Mishima to go to bed before Ren came home from his date so that his friend could get a decent night’s sleep before their plane back home.

 

So the fact that Akechi has just nodded off in the presence of so many strangers he just met _today_ and Ryuji, when they’ve only very recently gotten off bad terms, is a big deal, and Ryuji recognizes it as so. He’d like to think he knows enough by now to realize that Akechi has had hardly anyone if not nobody he could trust in the way he just has, and he feels frozen in place with this revelation and the responsibility to not betray the faith he’s been given.

 

He knows he’s just sitting there staring at Akechi sleeping, and that everyone else in the room is just staring at him staring at Akechi sleeping, so he snaps himself into action. He stands up and heads to one of the other couches in the room that has a blanket draped over it, brought up by Furuya during one of their big movie nights. He looks to Furuya firstly to gain permission, and gets a nod in return. He bundles the blanket up before walking back to the middle of the room, draping it as carefully over Akechi as he possibly can.

 

Akechi stirs, but settles down just as quickly. Ryuji watches him as he eases himself down, and once he’s decided he hasn’t been disturbed, he turns back to the screen and grabs his remote. Everyone else stays frozen, so he sighs and shrugs.

 

“Come on, let’s get back to the game,” he mutters lowly, “Unless we’re done?”

 

Hinata breathes deep beside him like he has plenty to say, but Mihashi elbows him and picks the next track wordlessly.

 

Gradually, people turn in for the night, and Yamamoto powers down the screens and game systems definitively. “Good game,” he yawns before he’s headed out of the room as well. Hinata and Mihashi have remained with Ryuji, who stares at the wall in lieu of staring at Akechi, snoozing away.

 

“Is he going to spend the night?” Hinata stage whispers and Mihashi tenses as the quiet has been disturbed.

 

Ryuji shakes his head, finally standing up, “Nah, I think he’ll want to head home. I’ll wake him up, you don’t have to worry about it.”

 

He waits until they leave, which takes longer than he’d like to, but he understands that they wouldn’t think anything of waking up a friend the way he’s had to with the traumas he and his friends have had to endure.

 

All of them have reason to be jumpy, and they’ve all come to a consensus on how respect each other’s personal space when necessary. So Ryuji reaches carefully from the opposite end of the couch, away from Akechi’s face. He touches his forearm carefully, cautiously, just enough pressure to rouse slowly.

 

“Akechi,” he says at a normal volume. He repeats it and keeps the pressure on his arm until Akechi’s head moves with a sharp inhale, then watches him sit up sluggishly. Ryuji retreats his arm as Akechi looks around the empty room first, then back at Ryuji.

 

“I suppose I will take my leave,” he says, voice still thick with sleep. Ryuji can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the fact that the guy still keeps up with his particular vernacular, even after being awake for just two minutes, but he lets it lie, stepping towards the door.

 

“I’ll walk you down.”

 

They walk down the stairs without a word, the silence only interrupted by Akechi’s uncharacteristically loud yawns. Ryuji half-keeps one eye on them as they walk down to ensure he doesn’t trip over his own feet, mouth turning up playfully when Akechi meets his gaze with a pout.

 

The common room is thankfully empty, letting them keep their privacy, and they stop at the front door.

 

“Want me to walk you home?” Ryuji offers, rubbing the back of his head.

 

Akechi shakes his head slowly, then pushes his bangs out of his eyes, “No need to overexert your leg, I’ll make it back just fine.”

 

Ryuji can’t really argue that logic when he can already feel an ache developing, so he nods, “Alright. Uh. I’d say text me or call me, but…”

 

He trails off, and Akechi responds, “I think the landlord might throw a fit if I tried to use the phone so late in the evening.” Ryuji nods and Akechi gives a small, teasing smile, “I promise I’ll make it home. I have handled worse.”

 

Ryuji nods again, as he can’t think of a way to respond in the way he wants to, or that Akechi would actually be receptive to. He changes the subject instead, “Thanks for coming over. I hope you had a good time.”

 

“I did,” he answers right away, “Thank you for inviting me. It was a nice change of pace, actually.”

 

“Yeah, it was. I’m glad.”

 

The conversation stalls. Akechi yawns again so Ryuji lightly pushes him towards the door, “Go home before you fall asleep standing up.”

 

Akechi waves lazily as he begins his trek down the front stairs and down the block, Ryuji watching him from the doorway until he can’t see him anymore. Only then does he step back inside and shut the door, leaning against it and taking a moment to breathe in and out.

 

He expected that this was going to be tricky, that it was going to cost a lot of energy for both of them to be around this type of environment, but he’s honestly coming away from it feeling like it was a success. He feels like he’s learned more about Akechi, even if Akechi hasn’t shared anything new to Ryuji.

 

What he’s taking away from this evening feels deeper than that, more than just learning facts about someone. It was observational, the way he was able to look at Akechi through a crowd and feel like he was _seeing_ him for more than anyone else was. And the moment on the roof was strange at first, but Ryuji did feel that Akechi was giving up something meaningful in telling him about the whispers he hears around Iwatodai.

 

Ryuji gets to thinking about the incident on the fourth floor and shakes himself out of his train of thought, deciding he needs to head upstairs and to bed. He might have made the moment deeper than it actually was, given Akechi’s lack of reaction upon waking up and the fact that he had worked all day, so he was more than likely just exhausted. Ryuji had felt embarrassed with all of the guys’ eyes on him and he feels embarrassed now trying to reason with himself over such a little thing. People get tired, they fall asleep, especially when lying down, so it’s really nothing so substantial.

 

Lying down in his own bed, Ryuji hypothesizes that it’s the vulnerability of it all, of the whole evening in general. Meeting new people, sharing something that most people wouldn’t believe, then falling asleep in the same room as everyone are all things Ryuji would not have expected Akechi to agree to, or even go along with. He thinks back on the auntie at the diner telling him that coming over meant a lot to Akechi too, which was entirely unexpected as well.

 

The thought that’s shaking Ryuji up so bad boils down to the fact that he’s actually been successful with Akechi and the two are making progress, and Ryuji’s excited to see where it goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah the old SEES dorm is the new dorm for "physical science" majors at the college because gratuitous Persona 3 references loool 
> 
> I have so many pages of notes to keep track of all of the dorm mates HA so if it's a bit confusing to keep them all straight and would like a bullet list, let me know and I'll put one in the beginning and/or end of chapters.
> 
> Thank you for reading and for your patience!! I am thinking I'm going to take a short break to work on another fic I've got backlogged before I continue this, but I definitely don't want to be away for too long!! But this will also allow me to come in with a fresh perspective and new ideas! I've got a vague outline where I want the next chapter to go, but I'd love to flesh it out more before I start writing. Thank you again!!
> 
> Next chapter: June, Akechi's birthday month. Ryuji turns his focus to his new job and saving up money for a special something, and Akechi branches out socially with some of Ryuji's dorm mates
> 
> Follow me on twitter at @cookietosser <3


	3. June

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June, Akechi's birthday month. Ryuji turns his focus to his new job and saving up money for a special something, and Akechi branches out socially with some of Ryuji's dorm mates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks are due to Beta Lit once more- they stayed up until almost 2:00am revising this last night and making sure it was perfect and I appreciate them so much!! Especially because I'm pretty stubborn and they have to reeeeally convince me to make changes sometimes.... ehehe;;;
> 
> CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING FANART: https://itchyarts.tumblr.com/post/178153629667/itchyghost-whisper-please-read-this-even-if-you THANK YOU ITCHY!!
> 
> I'M SORRY THIS TOOK TWO MONTHS TO WRITE. I did venture out into other projects I wanted to work on, but I was mostly working on this bad boy....it just kept growing longer and longer and now here we sit at 23k+ :OOOO I am participating in NaNoWriMo this month to help motivate me on making faster progress with this fic!!
> 
> Sooooo I hope it's worth the wait!! Enjoy <3

**Who’s that Gemini?!**

 

**You: you guys**

**You: guess what**

 

**Fox: Have you decided to grow facial hair?**

 

**You: ...no**

 

**Fox: Oh. I am contemplating it, by the way.**

**Panther <3: I don’t think that’s a good idea…**

**Fox: I think something like a goatee would work out nicely, something that frames the face.**

**Joker: Ryuji’s getting married?**

 

**You: ok what**

 

**Fox: But then there’s the question of how long do I let the goatee go?**

**Oracle: We can find out if you do get married and don’t tell us. Queen has access to public records through the police force and I can hack in there too >)**

**Queen: Neither is true.**

**Queen: Well, I don’t know for sure actually, but I don’t think we should try to find out.**

**Queen: Because you’re not actually getting married, right Ryuji?**

 

**You: NO**

**You: can you guys just say what like normal effing people**

 

**Noir: What? :)**

 

**You: thank you, Haru**

 

**Noir: You’re welcome!**

**Fox: A mustache could be useful for more of a sophisticated gentlemanly appearance.**

**Oracle: Inari you are so not on the right track**

**Fox: Oh, do you think I should go with a full beard? It’d be very noticeable to say the least, it would draw people in.**

**Oracle: Let it go Inari**

 

**You: can I talk about my thing now or…**

**Panther <3: Well actually tell us instead of being an ass about it**

 

**You: :)**

**You: I got a jobbbb**

 

**Oracle: OOH.** [ **GIF** ](https://media1.tenor.com/images/418cb965cccf16e55aeac63dccc9b9b0/tenor.gif?itemid=5379454)

**Panther <3: Nice!! Money!! <3**

**Joker: Bring home the bacon you big strong man winky face**

**Queen: Why did you type winky face?**

**Noir: Congratulations Ryuji-kun! What kind of work will you be doing?**

 

**You: Front desk receptionist for the uni gym**

 

**Panther <3: Oh that sounds perfect for you!!**

**Queen: How did you come across that?**

 

**You: there was a job posting online**

**You: gemini friend helped me a lot**

 

**Noir: Oh how kind of them! I’m so happy for you! :)**

**Fox: This is such wondrous news!**

**Joker: Proud of you, buddy**

 

**You: aw shucks**

 

Ryuji leans against the wall behind his bed with a blush. He couldn’t get out of his interview outfit fast enough when he got home, the tight collar suffocating him and tight business pants limiting his movements more than he’s used to. Now he sits on his bed spread eagle in gym shorts and a tank.

 

Yamamoto had helped him pick out clothes to buy and ran through practice interviews with him. Akechi had actually laid down a great foundation with his resume, and that, combined with Yamamoto’s advice on how to answer questions in an interview, seemed to have set him up for success. According to Yamamoto.

 

But when Ryuji was sitting in the back office of the gym waiting to be interviewed, he was nearly sweating through his clothing. Leg bouncing vigorously, he ran through every mock interview he and Yamamoto had done, and when he had exhausted all of those, he thought back to his night at the diner with Akechi. Sitting side-by-side, sharing fries and working together to make something new despite their differences.

 

It was the first time he felt completely at ease in Akechi’s presence, and it even brought him some peace of mind in that office.

 

_ “Fib a little, focus on what you can do for them.” _

 

Cynical words, but within them actually containing helpful hints that Ryuji clung to.

 

The interview itself wasn’t too terrible. The supervisor thankfully reminded him of the old track coach and not Kamoshida, and their conversation ended up being pretty casual. He asked Ryuji about his major, what type of sports he participated in, and Ryuji gave the old story about his leg. In return, the supervisor told him of an injury to his arm he suffered from playing college baseball.

 

The interview ended with the supervisor promising an email discussing whether or not they’d proceed with Ryuji, and he showed him out with a firm handshake. 

 

He was just about done walking home, just turning the corner to his street, when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He reached into his pocket frantically, exclaiming loudly upon reading the email with his confirmation letter.

 

Leaning against the wall outside the dorm, he called his mom first. She squealed in his ear just as loudly as he just had in the empty neighborhood. He chuckled sheepishly, thanking her for the money she sent him to buy new clothes.

 

“I’ll pay you back as soon as I can,” he swore.

 

“Oh, don’t even,” she chastised. “Save it for yourself, you’re a starving college boy.”

 

He agreed in order to assuage her while thinking of how he can sneak the money into her purse the next time he sees her.

 

“I’m just so proud of you,” she continued. “I hope your classes aren’t too overwhelming for you.”

 

“No, ma,” he reassured. “And this job has lots of down time, so I can study and stuff.”

 

“Things are going so well for you, I’m so happy.”

 

“Me too, ma,” he said, grinning. “Really. It was rough at first, but I’ve got everything handled.”

 

Yamamoto came down the road, done with his classes for the day, and he waved at Ryuji. Once they were closer, he gave Ryuji an inquiring thumbs up, to which Ryuji responded with a vigorous nod and thumbs up back at him. Yamamoto threw up his hands in a silent cheer before stepping inside the dorm.

 

“I’ve got to go, ma,” Ryuji said into the phone, “But I’ll talk to you soon and I’ll come visit next month during break.”

 

After they exchanged goodbyes and I love yous, Ryuji hurried inside, throwing his shoes off and immediately reaching to unbutton his shirt. As he strode through the common room to get to his own room, he greeted any dorm mates he saw and shared the good news, reveling in the praise.

 

He’s still reeling in his success, smiling like a dope on his bed, when his computer chimes with a new group message.

 

**Amamiya Ren: Seriously, I’m really happy for you**

 

**You: thanks, man**

**You: why private message tho?**

 

**Amamiya Ren: I have a reputation to uphold**

**Amamiya Ren: But no I wanted to say, away from prying eyes, that I know college has been really stressful, everything’s new and crazy. And you were probably worried about money, but didn’t want to bother your mom or anybody about it, so I didn’t pressure you to talk about it**

**Amamiya Ren: We’re always going to be there for you, never worry about that**

 

**You: have I been that obviously stressed……**

 

**Amamiya Ren: lol you haven’t been as engaged in the chat lately**

 

**You: Sorry man…**

 

**Amamiya Ren: No that’s my point. There’s always going to be times where we need to focus on ourselves above anything else and that’s okay**

**Amamiya Ren: But you’ll always have us to fall back on**

**Amamiya Ren: That’s all I wanted to say aside from I’m proud of you and I’m happy for you**

 

**You: (crying emoji)**

 

**Amamiya Ren: No tears**

 

**You: tears of happiness**

 

**Amamiya Ren: No tears**

 

**You: ok**

**You: Thank you. Really. It means a lot.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Of course**

**Amamiya Ren: I always think back on the entrance exams and how I didn’t do anything**

**Amamiya Ren: I knew you were overwhelmed, but I didn’t help you**

 

**You: hey man, you were taking the exams too. I didn’t want you to do anything. I woulda felt guilty if you did**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Still.**

 

**You: no but thats kinda your thing. You don’t pressure. You let people come to you when theyre ready.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Yeah.**

**Amamiya Ren: Still. Sometimes I wish I had done more.**

 

Ryuji slumps back, stunned and at a loss for how to respond. It’s not like this is the first time Ren has come to him to lift some of the burden off of his shoulders. Ren once confessed that Ryuji crying over their beef bowls after he had told him of his arrest was the first time Ren had felt better about the whole situation since it happened. And Ryuji had since then spent countless late nights on the phone with Ren, comforting him after a severe bout of nightmares.

 

But for Ren to acknowledge this kind of insecurity is new, and Ryuji doesn’t know how to help combat it. He crosses his arms and his eyebrows furrow as he stares at his computer screen, trying to think of something reassuring to say.

 

**You: There’s nothing we can do about the past. We just gotta keep moving forward.**

**You: But I know this is about more than just the exams thing**

 

**Amamiya Ren: You are right, though.**

 

Ryuji’s phone buzzes next to him with a text alert, and normally Ryuji would ignore it for this type of situation, but the message is too puzzling not to investigate.

 

******-***-***: Guess who.**

 

To Ren, he sends a quick message to hang on, before typing out a response to the unknown number.

 

**You: uhhh new phone who dis?**

 

******-***-***: Why, it is a new phone, thank you for noticing.**

 

**You: Seriously tho I don’t know who this is**

 

******-***-***: Come on. Use your deduction skills.**

******-***-***: Although they won’t exceed mine.**

 

**You: Akechi???**

 

******-***-***: The one and only.**

 

**You: You got a phone??**

 

**Akechi Goro: I did. I decided to treat myself with this most recent paycheck.**

 

**You: It’s a good birthday present for yourself too**

 

**Akechi Goro: Can it be a birthday present if I get it myself?**

 

**You: uhhh yeah? That’s all my mom does. She used to come home with all kinds of stuff and show me one and say it was from me**

 

**Akechi Goro: Ha, alright. What about the new pack of cigarettes I also bought?**

 

**You: I mean lung cancer is gonna kill ya but happy 20th**

 

**Akechi Goro: Thank you :)**

 

**You: :\**

**You: but did you end up doing anything special at all?**

**You: Like. Ur 20. You can drink now**

 

**Akechi Goro: Legally, anyway.**

**Akechi Goro: But yes. Auntie took me out, actually.**

 

The ellipsis appears, indicating that Akechi’s typing out quite a bit, so Ryuji sets the phone down and goes back to his chat with Ren.

 

**You: Hang on**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Sure.**

**Amamiya Ren: Ooh it’s been a couple of minutes, what’s going on?**

 

**You: its gemini friend**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Ah ok cool**

 

**You: no dude. This is kind of revolutionary**

**You: he didnt have a phone until today**

 

**Amamiya Ren: O h h h…..**

**Amamiya Ren: Wait is it his birthday?**

 

**You: it was a couple of days ago, yeah**

**You: how the hell did you know?**

 

**Amamiya Ren: He’s got a new phone, it’s gemini season, I took a guess**

 

**You: oh**

**You: he’s telling me about how his coworkers took him out drinking**

 

**Amamiya Ren: He’s 20? Tell him to hook you up**

 

**You: Psshhh yeah ok**

**You: they went bar hopping**

**You: they made him do karaoke**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Riveting.**

 

**You: sdfg sorry**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Nah, just ribbing you :P**

**Amamiya Ren: I think it’s cute**

 

**You: ?**

 

**Amamiya Ren: You’re excited he’s texting you**

 

**You: just cause I asked what his effing sign was you gotta make it out like i got a crush?**

 

**Amamiya Ren: <3**

**Amamiya Ren: Where does Gemini work?**

**Amamiya Ren: Because calling him Gemini makes me feel gross and pervy so I want confirmation he’s not in a host club or something**

 

Ryuji’s eyes flick between his computer screen and his phone. He knows that Ren’s asking for a name without pressuring him to actually give it, and he knows it’s weird he won’t give this friend of his a name, leaving more to the group’s wild and dangerous imaginations. But Akechi’s still texting him unbeknownst of any of this, and Ryuji knows he can’t betray that trust. He realizes that by introducing Akechi to the group as an unrelated  _ mysterious gemini _ , he was holding the hope of getting the group acquainted to the idea of Akechi before he has to break to news.

 

Funny how he started the group chat just to rat Akechi out, and now he feels as if he’s dreading something inevitable.

 

It won’t go nearly as smooth as he wants it to, however, if he refuses to give any information at all. Ren, much like Akechi, is dangerous when given any sort of hints, so he chooses his words carefully.

 

**You: his name is Koji and he works at a diner**

**You: he lives alone and doesn’t have a lot of money hence no phone**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Are you getting Koji Who Works at a Diner something for his birthday?**

 

**You: oh crap**

 

**Amamiya Ren: lol you don’t have to**

 

**You: no like I want to I just**

**You: I can do that now. I have a job.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: You do.**

 

**You: Ren.**

**You: Ren I don’t know what to get him**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Oh boy**

**Amamiya Ren: Is he more of a flowers or a cologne guy?**

 

**You: REN. FOR REAL.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: hehehehe**

**Amamiya Ren: Okay.**

**Amamiya Ren: What kind of house stuff does he have?**

**Amamiya Ren: If he lives alone, something for his place might be a good, practical gift**

 

**You: oh i like that a lot**

 

**Amamiya Ren: I know. I’m good.**

**Amamiya Ren: So Morgana is yelling at me to go to bed. I’ll leave you to talk to Koji winky face**

 

**You: why DO you type out winky face**

 

**Amamiya Ren has gone offline**

 

**You: night**

 

Ryuji sets his laptop aside and lays down, lifting his phone above him to turn his focus to his conversation with Akechi.

 

**You: so how are you liking the new phone?**

 

**Akechi Goro: Well right now it’s pretty much just a tablet for my puzzle games.**

**Akechi Goro: You and Auntie are the only people in my phonebook.**

 

**You: oh**

**You: I can give your number to some of the dorm mates if you want? Like Mihashi or Tezuka**

 

**Akechi Goro: Hmm.**

**Akechi Goro: How about you give me all of their numbers and I’ll determine who is worthy enough to be in my phonebook?**

 

**You: oh like the bachelor?**

 

**Akechi Goro: I only have so many roses.**

 

**You: lol k i’ll get a list going**

 

**Akechi Goro: I appreciate it.**

 

**You: hey thank you for your help on my resume**

**You: I got the job at the gym**

 

**Akechi Goro: See? Quite easy, really.**

 

**You: I was freaking out before my interview tho**

 

**Akechi Goro: First one?**

 

**You: yup**

**You: but like you said. He wanted to know what I could bring to the table. I kept my story short, nodded along when he told me all of his, and I guess that made him really like me**

**You: and now I got a job and a free gym membership too**

 

**Akechi Goro: I’d like to say I told you so**

 

**You: …..**

**You: ….But?**

 

**Akechi Goro: But what?**

 

**You: asshole**

 

**Akechi Goro: :)**

 

**You: but yeah so I might not be around the diner as much. This is the first round of big exams too so I really gotta put my head down for a bit**

 

**Akechi Goro: My, happy birthday to me.**

 

**You: you’ll miss me, dont lie**

 

**Akechi Goro: I’ll miss the free food, if anything.**

 

**You: :(**

**You: feel free to come by and ravage our fridge then I guess**

 

**Akechi Goro: God, looking at your kitchen was going to give me an ulcer.**

**Akechi Goro: I know you said none of you knew how to cook, but really…**

 

**You: what**

**You: we made onigiri**

 

**Akechi Goro: More rice made it onto the walls and floors than in your mouths.**

**Akechi Goro: If I were to come over, it’d be to cook all of you an actual meal to show in comparison how terribly you’ve been living.**

 

**You: are you offering?**

 

**Akechi Goro: Hmm…..**

**Akechi Goro: Do you accept?**

 

**You: I mean I’m not gonna say no to a home cooked meal**

 

**Akechi Goro: And who knows how much any of you are really going to eat if you’re too busy studying.**

 

**You: aww you care about us**

 

**Akechi Goro: That’s a wild accusation.**

 

**You: is it? :)**

 

**Akechi Goro: I’m hanging up now.**

 

**You: LOL I guess it has been a while since you’ve texted somebody**

**You: I’ll get you those phone numbers, you’ll let me know what day works best for you to come over?**

 

**Akechi Goro: Sure.**

**Akechi Goro: (Dial tone)**

 

**You: weirdo :P**

 

Seeing that it’s not too late in the evening, he sends a message to the dorm’s group chat asking if anybody wants to give Akechi their phone numbers, and most of them respond right away to give their permission. By the time he’s really settling down to go to bed, he’s gotten affirmation from everyone, and he sends the list to Akechi’s phone.

 

**You:** **dorm_mates_numbers.doc**

**You: Here you go! :)**

 

He ends up falling asleep before finding out if Akechi responds.

 

* * *

 

Getting trained for his new job flies by. Before Ryuji knows it, he’s sitting comfortably behind the front desk. He spends his time buried in his notes in preparation for his exams save for when people filter in and out, and he gives his obligatory greetings. The occasional phone call and student coming up with questions serve as perfect breaks from the monotony of studying, and he quickly forgets how many hours he spends sitting in one place with all the great progress he feels he’s making.

 

During one such study session, there’s a tapping on the counter in front of him, so he drops his pencil and looks away from his notebook full of practice math problems. Instead of a lost student, however, he’s met with Hinata’s wide grin with Aomine and Furuya standing behind him.

 

“Hey,” Ryuji waves. “What are you guys up to?”

 

“We’re headed to the basketball courts,” Hinata answers. “We’re gonna win a game against Aomine!”

 

Ryuji turns from Hinata and his blind overconfidence to Furuya- a poster child for regret with his sheepish posture and hand rubbing the back of his head. “We’re the only dummies that agreed to his challenge,” he explained, chuckling.

 

“Are you off soon? You should come with!” Hinata urges.

 

Ryuji looks at the clock on the desktop computer before him, “I got another 40-ish minutes. I’ll meet up with you guys then?”

 

“Hell yeah, looking forward to it,” Aomine smirks, chin pulled up smugly. 

 

Ryuji feels a fire burning in his chest, his competitive spirit awakening. He juts his own head up, like he and Aomine are bulls sizing each other up, “Oh, you’re on.”

 

“Ah, we have found another dummy,” Furuya laughs with a shake of his head.

 

“We’ll get a good head start on him,” Hinata promises, bouncing from excitement. “Have a good rest of your shift!”

 

The three of them walk off, and Ryuji keeps his eyes on Aomine and his swaggering step. He hasn’t felt fired up about something like this since the Metaverse was an active presence, and Ryuji forgets his math notes in favor of staring the clock down. As soon as the end of his shift arrives, he gathers his things and heads to his locker to change, relieved to have it as a benefit for a time such as this. He grabs his spare work out clothes and switches out from his daily wear.

 

Once changed, he stretches in preparation, giving special attention to his legs as per the norm. He has just enough patience to stretch only much as he needs to before he’s bouncing up and heading in the direction of the basketball court.

 

He finds them easily thanks to Aomine’s height, and Ryuji isn’t surprised to see him dribbling the ball out of Hinata’s reach easily. Furuya moves behind Aomine in an attempt to get the jump on him, but the guy is perfectly capable of handling both of them simultaneously.

 

Adding Ryuji in probably won’t be enough to take Aomine down, but Ryuji remains determined. They’re smaller than him, which will make them faster by comparison. If they focus on that, they might stand a chance.

 

Aomine slam dunks into the basket and Hinata lets himself collapse on the ground with a groan. Ryuji makes his way over, asking them, “What’s the damage?”

 

“He’s winning,” Hinata answers, dejected.

 

“We’re not keeping score,” Furuya corrects.

 

“I’m winning,” Aomine says, brimming with pride.

 

Ryuji helps Hinata up, addressing Aomine, “You really enjoy winning against people that ain’t as good as you that much?”

 

Aomine looks incredulous, “It’s not like I’m playing one on one with either of them. We’ve evened the odds.”

 

“I don’t get it, dude,” Ryuji shakes his head. “You don’t see Mihashi and Tezuka playing baseball against people who don’t know how to play.”

 

“This is called street ball, man, it’s all casual,” Aomine insists, exasperated. “And now you’re here, that only gives me more of a challenge and gives you an advantage.”

 

“Like  _ Mario Party _ ,” Hinata chimes in reassuringly, as if to talk Ryuji down. Ryuji takes a deep breath in response. He didn’t mean to worry anybody. “Plus, they might not play  _ against _ him, but Mihashi and Tezuka did take Akechi to the batting cages the other day, and he’s not professional level like they are.”

 

_ That _ diverts Ryuji’s focus away from Aomine. He turns sharply to Hinata, “They did?”

 

Hinata nods with a laugh, “Tezuka said he got all mad like he did playing Rainbow Road because he wasn’t as good as them.”

 

“You gonna chew Tezuka out now?” Aomine jabs at Ryuji.

 

He sighs tersely, “I’m sorry. I was out of line coming at you like that.”

 

“Thanks,” Aomine replies with a playful smile, tossing the ball to Ryuji. “Let’s see if you can earn talking a big game.” 

 

“Ass,” Ryuji mutters once he catches the ball. “Oh, we’ll give you a tough fight, just you wait.”

 

With three of them playing against Aomine, they can manage to keep the ball away from him long enough to shoot. Furuya passes to Hinata and Hinata straight up misses the shot, the ball missing the basket practically by a mile. Ryuji and Aomine scramble for the ball, and Ryuji just barely misses it.

 

The three crowd around Aomine attempting to dribble his way to the basket, limiting his movements severely. Furuya smirks at Ryuji, looking like he’s having more fun now, and Ryuji grins back. Hinata tries to swipe at the ball and it leaves an opening for Aomine to double back and spin behind Furuya, running straight for the basket.

 

Furuya and Hinata trip over themselves trying to catch up and Ryuji runs ahead, right on Aomine’s tail. Aomine jumps up at the basket to dunk the ball and Ryuji tries to get enough air to block it. But with Aomine’s longer legs and Ryuji’s own physical limitations, he doesn’t get anywhere close to succeeding.

 

The ball bounces on the ground and Ryuji lands on his ass. Aomine stands over him, and a few feet away, both Furuya and Hinata are audibly lamenting another score counted against them.

 

Aomine reaches a hand down to help Ryuji up, and once they’re both standing, he claps his hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. Ryuji winces, but smiles, jogging back to the two behind him.

 

The rest of their game passes with much of the same results until the three of them end up with their backs on the polished court floor, breathing heavily and sweat dripping down their foreheads.

 

Aomine dribbles the ball around their prone forms idly, not seeming nearly as exhausted in the least, “You guys put up a good fight.”

 

Hinata gurgles out an intelligible noise, throwing a thumbs up at him before letting his arm flop back on the ground. Furuya wheezes about his legs hurting and Ryuji stares at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts. Part of him doesn’t feel satisfied with the results, having been thoroughly defeated, but another feels proud for putting up such a fierce fight. They at least made it difficult for Aomine even if he prevailed in the end.

 

The feeling is not unlike when the old track team would lose a race. Regardless if he or one of his teammates ended up just behind the guy in the lead, it wouldn’t change that they lost despite how hard they had worked. All they would have to hold onto was the efforts they put in, that they had tried their hardest, and the experience would change their outlooks from then on.

 

Ryuji smiles, laughing under his breath. He hasn’t felt this way in so long. Being a Phantom Thief never left him with this kind of emotion, it being a matter of surviving instead of competition. The physicality was all cognitive and thus never left the burning ache he feels in his chest right now. Underneath the ache is a heaviness at having lost, and a heart beating fiercely with a drive to better himself and to improve.

 

_ It feels good. _

 

Ryuji sits up with a grin, turning to the others, “Ramen?”

 

“Sure,” Aomine agrees, “Losers buy.”

 

“Do ya have money?” Furuya asks Ryuji.

 

He nods, “Got my first paycheck.”

 

Furuya turns to Hinata, “Do  _ you _ have money?” Hinata conveniently keeps his eyes away from them all by staring at the walls. “Hinata.” He makes a drawn out high pitched noise of uncertainty. Furuya sighs and says to Ryuji, “You take Aomine, I’ll take Hinata?”

 

Ryuji nods once more and they all stand up, heading to the lockers to change out of their sweaty clothes.

 

The walk to the ramen shop is nigh unbearable from the humidity and sweat clinging to them. Ryuji almost regrets suggesting ramen instead of heading straight home to shower until the smell of broth drifts to them from inside, making his mouth water.

 

The four of them find a table towards the back and thank the waiter tremendously when he brings them glasses and a large pitcher of water. After they quench their thirst, they sit in a hungry silence mulling over what kinds of ramen to get. Ryuji typically gets his usual classic flavor, but today, he finds his gaze turning to the seafood bowl that Akechi got the first time they went out to eat. 

 

He’s still contemplating which one to get when the waiter comes back for their orders, and he orders the seafood bowl in a panic. His leg starts bouncing as soon as he voices the words, and he takes a generous gulp of water as the table returns to an exhausted silence.

 

After he can’t stand the curiosity biting at him, he asks, “Hey, Hinata. D’you know if Akechi had a good time with Mihashi and Tezuka?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Hinata responds without hesitation. “Mihashi says they’ve been texting all the time since you gave him our numbers.”

 

“Thanks for letting me do that, by the way,” Ryuji addresses to the table. 

 

Furuya shrugs while Aomine crosses his arms, leaning back, “Seems like he’s shopping for favorites.” He raises an eyebrow, “He’s not too talkative with me.”

 

“He’s pretty busy with work, I think,” Hinata reasons.

 

“He hasn’t really been texting me either,” Ryuji mumbles, stirring the ice in his cup with his straw absentmindedly.

 

“Oh, I do know why that is” Hinata says energetically, “Cause Mihashi said Akechi asked about you when they were hanging out, and Mihashi didn’t get why he needed to, but Akechi said he didn’t want to bother you when you were at your new job or studying.”

 

“But he can bother Mihashi and Tezuka?” Aomine asks, as if he’s just as put out as Ryuji is. Ryuji frowns sullenly, stuck on the fact that Akechi asked his dorm mates about him instead of texting him, but he stays silent.

 

“I pushed Mihashi to text him,” Hinata explained. “I thought it’d be good for him to let out some stress after he’s been studying, like, nonstop. Mihashi has like, no concept of taking care of himself.”

 

“Also, they were getting along pretty well when Sakamoto brought him over,” Furuya adds to Aomine. “So it makes sense for them to hang out.”

 

“I talked to him that day too,” Aomine grumbles and Furuya elbows his side. Ryuji hears him murmur to Aomine not to force anything, but he chooses to ignore whatever’s going on with Aomine to get back to talking with Hinata.

 

“That’s really awesome, though. For both Akechi and for Mihashi,” he says with a widening grin. “I’m really happy they’re both branching out.”

 

“Me too,” Hinata agrees with a vigorous nod. “Mihashi was worried that you’d be upset Akechi wasn’t hanging out with you instead.”

 

“No, no, I’m not upset at all,” Ryuji insists. “I’ve been trying to work a lot anyways to save up money. I wanna pay my mom back, and it was Akechi’s birthday at the beginning of this month so I wanted to get him something nice.”

 

“Ah, what’re ya gettin’ him?” Furuya asks.

 

Ruji rubs the back of his head, “I uh, I found a waffle maker online? It’s like. Really nice. It’s got different settings so you can toast sandwiches and make eggs and bacon, too. I thought it’d be nice for his place. I ordered it after I got my first paycheck, so it’ll come in the mail in a few days.” He hesitates, then sheepishly adds, “Don’t tell him about it if you happen to see him before I do. I want it to be a surprise.”

 

“Can Akechi cook?” Aomine asks with intrigue.

 

“Apparently. He offered to cook for us one day while we’re studying.”

 

Aomine then jerks forward, “And this is the first we’re hearing about this? Have you been holding out on us, Sakamoto?”

 

“We just haven’t taken the time to arrange a day for it,” Ryuji says defensively, “I can ask him about it though?”

 

Aomine nods with a persistent stare, and Hinata nudges him while chanting, “Yeah yeah yeah!” Furuya laughs quietly from the sidelines.

 

“We should try and get him over closer to exams week,” Furuya suggests. “We’re gonna need a lotta energy then.”

 

Ryuji confirms that he will make plans with Akechi, and Hinata shifts his focus away from him and to Furuya, “I think we’re overdue for a movie night, too.”

 

Their food arrives, and Furuya leans away from the splash zone created by Hinata slurping up his noodles. He breaks apart his own chopsticks and prepares his first bite, “Ya sure ya not just tryin’ to avoid studyin’ as much as possible?”

 

“Breaks are important,” Hinata pouts. “You’ve got to reward good behavior and not burn yourself out.”

 

Furuya laughs, “Ya gotta do something to deserve the reward first.”

 

“Use movie night as inspiration to keep you going,” Aomine chimes in. He lifts his bowl up to drink the broth. When he sets it back down, he adds, “We already got a pre-reward anyway with Akechi coming over.”

 

Before he can think of why he feels the need to clarify, Ryuji says, “Nothing’s set in stone yet.”

 

“Not if you don’t do anything about it,” Aomine fires back. He lifts his bowl back up to finish it off, keeping his eyes on Ryuji. Ryuji frowns, then picks up his own bowl as well. They lock eyes as they tilt their bowls back, racing to see who finishes first.

 

Ryuji slams the dish down first once it’s empty, gasping and breathing heavily as if he’s just swam ten laps. Aomine, meanwhile, places his bowl on the table gently, shrugging with ease. It only pisses Ryuji off more.

 

“Come on, y’all, leave it on the court,” Furuya chides with a shake of his head. “Let’s get goin’, I’ve got a paper to write.”

 

They all pay for their checks and walk out to head home, Ryuji tailing behind with a huff and his hands stuffed in his pockets. His head feels warm from the heat and the saltiness of the seafood ramen sits heavily on his tongue, leaving him queasy and not feeling up for conversation. Hinata fills the hot night with his chatter for him, planning what movies they should watch once finals are done.

 

“There’s so many about the American college experience,” he says. “As college students, I think it’s a shame we haven’t watched any of them yet.”

 

“It’s not like they apply to us, though,” Furuya mumbles.

 

“They could,” Hinata insists. “Kinda?”

 

Aomine drawls with a slow grin, “We should have a frat party.”

 

“We’re not a frat,” Furuya once again interjects.

 

“Well, we practically are.”

 

Hinata puts his hand under his chin, “We’ll have to study how to execute a proper frat party. We should watch  _ Canadian Cake _ ,  _ Illegally Brunette _ , and  _ My Neighbors _ as starters.”

 

Ryuji lets the conversation fade away, staring at the ground and trying to swallow down the pressure in his chest. He can’t pinpoint this feeling with just one word. He feels sick, irritated, and almost invisible. Strange, considering that he’s been having a good time with his friends. Hell, everything’s been going really well as far as his social life goes, so he is also feeling stupid and irrational on top of everything else.

 

Things are nothing like the were in high school, before the Phantom Thieves formed, when he truly felt like nothing he did mattered as long as adults like Kamoshida held all the power. When other kids were so swayed by rumors that they steered clear of him for the sake of their own self image. When he spent each passing day idly, waiting for something to come along and kickstart his life back up as if he was in a perpetual pause.

 

Then Ren came. And the rest of the Thieves followed.

 

He was worried about falling into that similar mindset once he moved to Iwatodai for school, having to start over with no one there beside him. But he’s recognized the importance of his actions, what a difference he can make, and has felt a sense of security in his own sense of being. His relationships with his dorm mates and Akechi have fallen into place better than expected as well, so there really isn’t a reason for Ryuji to feel beat down.

 

Ryuji sighs to himself when they make it to the dorm, filing in and going their separate ways.

He pauses at the bottom of the stairs, inhaling deeply and ignoring the ache in his leg as he makes the ascent to the second floor. He doesn’t stop until he’s up on the rooftop, where he can’t manage to reach the edge before he has to sit down. His teeth clench as the soreness comes in full force, and he massages his leg to attempt to soothe it.

 

He doesn’t even really want to be here, he realizes. He’s tired of being alone, has spent the last few weeks being alone. It’s as if once his job was secured, his world had been reduced to his schoolwork and that damn front counter.

 

He loves his job. He’s really thankful to have it. As first jobs go, he couldn’t have any better. But it hadn’t occurred to him how draining it’s been to not really talk to anybody, watching people filter in and out without so much as giving him a glance. Ryuji didn’t expect to anguish over a lack of forced human interaction in a job setting, especially since he’s really got to keep studying for his exams anyway. But he misses talking to people.

 

He should’ve felt better after hanging out with the guys today, so why didn’t it feel right when they were heading home? Ryuji ends up digging both of his hands into his hair to scratch at his throbbing skull. What the hell’s going on with him?

 

He forcibly moves his hands into his lap to stop himself from pulling his own hair out and takes a few deep breaths. No need to spiral out over nothing. He takes his phone out to get to his message thread with Ren. He told him they’d always be there for him, maybe if he just talks it out with the most logical guy he knows, he’ll be able to get rid of this ache in his chest.

 

**You: Ren?**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Hey. Everything alright?**

 

**You: yeah. I just kinda wanna word vomit ur way if i can? If thats ok.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Vomit away.**

 

**You: yuck thats actually a gross image when you say it like that. uhh well.**

**You: the job is going great. Really great. Just super awesome super great. Its great.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: I wasn’t planning on interrupting you but I kind of feel like I have to ask.**

**Amamiya Ren: Are you sure it’s great?**

 

**You: yeah!**

**You: well. Its kind of. Isolating. A little bit.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: You’re working behind a front desk right?**

 

**You: yeah**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Mmm. Understandable for you to be stir-crazy.**

 

**You: stir-crazy…**

**You: yeah i guess that is it. Ive been studying like crazy, like the hardest ive ever studied since the entrance exams you know? Because i dont wanna screw up my first year of college.**

**You: and then im trying to work on top of that, and not like that’s super hard to manage but i come home and everyones already in their rooms studying or sleeping….**

**You: but like i expect that it’s whatever. And everything’s good there really, a few of us hung out today, played basketball. I felt really good afterwards like i was able to get rid of some of that pent up energy**

**You: but then we were all going home and went back to doing our own thing and all of that frustration just. Came back i guess.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: It’ll pass soon. And you’ll feel really good doing all this hard work when you get good grades.**

**Amamiya Ren: And then I bet Koji will love the birthday present you’ve been working so hard to get for him.**

 

**You: yeah about that.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Uh oh.**

**Amamiya Ren: Or is it more like.**

**Amamiya Ren: UH OHHHHH! :D**

 

**You: …...neither?**

 

**Amamiya Ren: What’s going on with Koji?**

 

**You: i havent seen a lot of him either.**

**You: which like. I warned him. I told him about the job and my exams i gotta study for so like obviously i cant go to the diner to see him**

**You: but like. He hasn’t texted, he hasn’t come over or anything**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Was he supposed to? It sounds like he’s respecting your need for space.**

 

**You: but i dont want spacemmmmmm**

**You: damn it.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: OH??**

 

**You: shut up i didnt mean to send that**

 

**Amamiya Ren: SAKAMOTO WYUJI.**

 

**You: REN. NO.**

**YOU: THIS MEANS NOTHING.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: What do you mean??**

 

**You: I mean that you’re making it mean more than it really means cause it doesnt mean anything more than what it means**

 

**Amamiya Ren: Which is?**

 

**You: NOTHING**

 

**Amamiya Ren: It doesn’t sound like nothing to meeee**

 

**You: NO ITS.**

**You: ok.**

**You: its not just hes not texting me or we havent hung out. Its that hes started hanging out with other people from the dorm instead.**

**You: which im happy about! I really am. I wanted him to make more friends.**

**You: but like. I guess it just makes it that much more obvious how much im not hanging out with anybody.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: How much you’re not hanging out with Koji.**

 

**You: yeah. I guess.**

**You: but its not like that.**

 

**Amamiya Ren: So text him.**

 

**You: Renren…**

 

**Amamiya Ren: No, I’m serious. If you’re bummed that you guys aren’t texting, then you text him. It’s that easy, I promise. <3**

**Amamiya Ren: Go go. Do it now. I will leave you be. :D**

 

**You: RENRENNNN**

 

Ren’s status changes to offline, and Ryuji seriously considers dropping his phone off the roof. He has his messages screen open, glancing at each text last sent, but his message thread with Akechi is like a blaring headlight even if it is venturing further and further down the list.

 

You: Here you go! :) (Read 7:34 AM  ✓)

 

No word from Akechi for more than a week now. He asked Ryuji for phone numbers, then left him on read. Ryuji shouldn’t even have to text, it’s Akechi’s turn. At least according to Ann’s rules.

 

“It’s that easy,” Ryuji mocks in a high tone, clicking Akechi’s name on his phone with more force than necessary. Without taking the time to think, he allows all the pent up aggression inside him to do the talking as he types out a message.

 

**You: hey.**

 

Akechi doesn’t respond immediately, so Ryuji drops his phone beside him and looks out into the distance, entertaining himself by counting all the colors in the cityscape. There aren’t stars to count in a metropolitan area like this on a normal day, but the sky is particularly dark and murky with storm clouds rolling in. The rain makes work at the gym a little less busy, as people are less inclined to leave their houses. Only the fitness freaks manage to come in on rainy days, so maybe he’ll manage to nail down that math equation that has been giving him trouble.

 

Ryuji’s phone chimes and it shocks him out of his thoughts. He scrambles for his phone and reads the new message.

 

**Akechi Goro: Hello? Were you going to follow up with anything, or…?**

 

**You: wanted to see if you were available first**

 

**Akechi Goro: Well I am.**

 

**You: Great.**

 

Ryuji gives a high-pitched sound of frustration as he racks his brain for more to possibly say. It’s not like he expected Akechi to spam his phone once he messaged him, but the lack of reaction has him sweating nervously. With Hinata’s urging in his ears and Aomine’s infuriating smirk, Ryuji decides to cut straight to business.

 

**You: The guys are wondering when you’re coming over to cook for them**

 

**Akechi Goro: Ah, have you finished off your rations? Are you starving in collegetown?**

 

**You: We are desperate for nutrients**

 

**Akechi Goro: Ha, alright. Auntie has made a habit of giving me Sundays off lately, so feel free to pick any week.**

 

**You: perfect. Next week is gonna be serious crunch time, so having you come over would be an awesome way to start it.**

 

**Akechi Goro: I’ll make sure to make something that will leave you all with plenty of leftovers. Of course, if you have any requests, please share them with me.**

 

**You: we aren’t too picky but i’ll ask around :)**

 

**Akechi Goro: Let me know sooner rather than later so I can go to grocery store.**

 

**You: oh no let us buy the groceries since you’re doing the cooking**

 

**Akechi Goro: …...I insist on coming with you then. I don’t trust your shopping capabilities.**

 

**You: ur so rude**

 

**Akechi Goro: :) People think I’m a delight.**

 

**You: yeah but I know the truth**

**You: :P**

**You: what are you doing Saturday? We can pick stuff up the day before**

 

**Akechi Goro: I close, so it’d have to be in the morning or early afternoon.**

 

**You: I only have a morning lecture so we can go after that? Around 11?**

 

**Akechi Goro: Alright. If you give me directions, I’ll meet you on campus.**

 

**You: I can go to ur place after class, you dont gotta worry about meeting me**

 

**Akechi Goro: Haha, we just finished our battle over paying for food, let’s not start another one about being the most accommodating.**

**Akechi Goro: Your campus is closer to the grocery store, it’d be pointless for you to go the opposite way to come to me.**

 

**You: oh okay. That makes sense**

 

**Akechi Goro: :)**

 

**You: soooooo i’ll see you on saturday then**

 

**Akechi Goro: That is the plan.**

 

**You: cool**

**You: looking forward to it**

 

**Akechi Goro: Was there anything else you wished to discuss?**

 

**You: uh. Nope. That was it really.**

 

**Akechi Goro: Alright. Goodnight.**

 

Akechi’s status changes to offline, and Ryuji is left staring at his phone once more. Is there a vibe he’s throwing out to everybody to leave him alone as quickly as possible? He huffs, and knows that if Ann were here she’d be poking at his bottom lip to tease him for pouting.

 

He considers just turning in early for the night when the group chat comes alive. With a small, grateful smile, he leans back and lets the comfort of his friends’ presence ease the anxiety that has been sitting persistently in his stomach.

 

**Who’s that Gemini?!**

 

**Oracle: hey college kids hope the exams havent slaughtered you yet, keep up the grinding**

**Oracle: I just wanted to uhhhh reveal something to everyone**

 

**Oracle changed the name of the chat to “REN KNOWS”**

 

**Panther <3: Ren knows what**

**Fox: Ren knows the best flower bouquet to give to someone you wish to insult.**

**Noir: Ren knows which treats to eat with which types of coffee :)**

**Panther <3: Ren knows which colors will look best on someone just by glancing at them**

**Queen: Wait. Ren knows, doesn’t he?**

**Oracle: Yes.**

**Oracle: the damn secret keeper is still on invisible! Come out you coward!! ) <**

**Panther <3: !!!! OMG !!!!**

**Noir: Oh we’re finally making headway in this mystery! Excellent work, Joker!**

**Fox: I’m not following.**

**Oracle: keep up, inari**

**Oracle: Ren knows who Gemini is!**

 

**You: Ren.**

**You: Renren what did you do**

 

**Joker: I’m not here**

**Joker: You can’t see me I’m invisible**

 

**You: REN!!!!!!!**

 

**Oracle: SKULL**

**Oracle: I can’t believe you told Ren first and then didn’t tell anyone else**

**Joker: I forced him to**

 

**You: you did not**

 

**Joker: Okay**

**Joker: Well Futaba forced me to tell**

**Oracle: I did.**

 

**You: why didnt you just ask me**

 

**Oracle: you were keeping it a secret!!**

 

**You: not on purpose!**

 

**Panther <3: thats cause he likes Gemini right Ren?**

**Joker: Cannot confirm for sure yet.**

 

**You: GUYS**

**You: quit talking about me behind my back : <**

 

**Panther <3: there’s the pout**

**Fox: Well, you might as well share with the rest of us.**

**Noir: Yes! Please! :)**

 

Ryuji’s heart has been beating like a jackrabbit’s since Futaba changed the chat’s name. He thinks back on every detail he’s shared with Ren, if there was any way Ren has figured out who “Koji” truly is. The chat remains silent, waiting, and Futaba and Ren don’t say anything accusatory so Ryuji takes a deep breath and takes the plunge before they call him out for not replying.

 

**You: his name is Koji**

 

**Oracle: And?**

 

**You: and what?**

 

**Fox: That’s all?**

 

**You: well. Yeah.**

**You: idk what you guys were wanting or expecting**

**You: he’s just a dude I met, no big secret. You guys made this out to be a way bigger thing than it is**

 

**Queen: Oh my god he’s in love with him.**

 

**You: MAKOTO**

 

**Oracle: GET HIM QUEEN**

**Joker: Ok now that it’s out in the open, I have to know if he’s like a Type A Gemini.**

 

**You: a what**

 

**Noir: How much of a Gemini does Koji-kun act like?**

 

**You: aw man**

**You: i dont know like. I still feel like im flying blind. One minute we’re good, the next, things are super awkward and i dont know how much of that im making up**

 

**Oracle: that sounds like a gemini to me**

**Joker: Koji won’t text him**

 

**You: nah, we’re good there. I guess.**

 

**Joker: Did you text him?**

 

**You: yeah but it was like all business. Uncomfy.**

 

**Noir: Definitely Type A Gemini.**

**Noir: Don’t stress too much about it, Ryuji-kun! Some people are easier to read in person! :)**

**Queen: And you should be focusing on your studies. Perhaps Koji-kun is simply being diligent**

 

**You: i guess so**

**You: he is coming over next week, and we’re gonna meet up the day before**

 

**Noir: Lovely!**

**Panther <3: (hes so in love with him)**

**Joker: (I know right?)**

 

**You: (((just cause you guys put parentheses doesnt mean you’re actually whispering!!!)))**

**You: (((I can see everything you’re saying!!!!!!!!!!!)))**

**You: (((((((((JUST SO YOU KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!)))))))))))))**

 

**Panther <3 went offline**

**Joker is online**

**Joker went offline**

 

**Panther <3: (anyway)**

 

**You: WE CAN SEE YOU**

 

**Joker: No you can’t**

 

**You: I’m logging off.**

**You: For. Real.**

 

**Noir: We love you, Ryuji-kun!**

 

**You: ………..**

**You: love you guys too**

 

Ryuji clicks his phone off, holding a hand to his chest. Deep breaths, just like Makoto showed him. They don’t know anything, they’re teasing him like normal, everything is fine.

 

He figures it’s best if he goes to bed before he has a heart attack, and he stands up to head downstairs. He hardly takes a few steps before his phone is ringing, disrupting his plan. When he sees who is calling him, he groans loudly before answering, “What?”

 

“Geez, we don’t speak in how long and that’s how you treat me?” Ann’s voice comes through with her scolding older sister tone and Ryuji rolls his eyes.

 

“We were literally just talking,” he points out.

 

“That’s different, and clearly you know that since you’ve been having meaningful conversations with Ren  _ alone _ ,” she pouts.

 

“Are you really guilt-tripping me about that? I never come to  _ you _ complaining that you talk to Shiho more than anyone else.” Ryuji goes ahead and sits on the concrete once more, knowing that Ann will draw him into conversation whether he fights it or not.

 

“Alright, you’re right, I’m sorry. I just miss you is all.”

 

Ryuji smirks, “You’re more charming when you’re honest, Ann.”

 

“ _ Fucking _ -” There’s shuffling sounds on the other end- a sign that Ann is physically adjusting her posture as if that will help her recover after being caught in the act.

 

He snorts, “Also not cursing will help your charm.”

 

“Fuck off,” she retorts. “I can’t believe you’re questioning my love.”

 

“Not your love. Your motivations.”

 

“Whatever do you mean?”

 

He breathes into the phone tersely, “Dude, I know you. You’re not calling to catch up, you’re calling because you want to gossip. You think I tell Ren everything and I was gonna keep it all a secret from you, so now you’re here to nag me about it.”

 

“Wow, you are so rude,” she exclaims, taken aback. Ryuji can picture her placing a hand over her heart, eyes wide and blinking rapidly. He doesn’t buy it for a second. “And you’re wrong, by the way.”

 

“Oh, I am?” He challenges.

 

“Yeah,” she says self-assuredly. “Because I know you,  _ dude _ . I know there are things you won’t admit to Ren, and he won’t push you to talk because that’s the way he is. So here I am. Pushing you to talk. Not  _ nagging _ , you ass.”

 

“Sounds like nagging to me,” Ryuji mutters under his breath. Ann hums in his ear impatiently and he throws up a hand, “There’s nothing to admit! I made a friend, I don’t get why you guys are making this such a big deal.”

 

Ann makes a sound that betrays her suspicion, “Ryuji, you asked what his Zodiac sign was.”

 

Ryuji rolls his eyes, “Yeah, I also asked my buddy at the dorm what it meant if he’s a baseball player, so?”

 

“You did what?” Ann doesn’t bother to wait for his response, “Ryuji, you gotta realize that means something.”

 

He groans, “Not what you think it does. Koji doesn’t talk about himself. Actually, scratch that, he loves talking about himself, but it never means anything. It doesn’t reflect who he is. It’s all,” Ryuji pauses to look behind him, at the ledge where he and Akechi sat while Akechi held his last cigarette between his fingers, lips wrapping around it, “smoke and mirrors.”

 

“Sounds like a Gemini,” Ann murmurs.

 

Ryuji scoffs, “You all keep saying that, but Haru’s the only one who’s bothered even kind of explaining.”

 

“What I’m trying to get at,” Ann starts, sounding more encouraging instead of expectant, “is that you don’t talk about your friends at the dorm the way you talk about Koji.”

 

“Well-” Ryuji hesitates at that. Then he murmurs, “He’s different.”

 

“How so?” The way she asks that gives Ryuji the impression that she thinks she already knows the answer, and it grates on his composure.

 

He taps his fingers against his knee, “Well, like. The guys at the dorm? We got assigned to live there by the school. We’ve all been becoming friends by proximity, mostly. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t make it matter less. Like, we all get along really well, and I’m happy to have them, but. It’s different with Koji, because I wanted to be friends with him purely of my own volition.”

 

Ann hums again, “So you have your dorm friends because the university grouped you together based on similar interests in fields of study, and you pursued Koji because he’s not in that world? Sounds sexy and mysterious.”

 

“Ugh, stop,” he groans. “There’s no pursuing, this isn’t one of your creepy romance novels. He works at the diner. I was gonna see him all the time anyway, I wanted to get to know him.” He mumbles that last bit, tracing shapes into the concrete beneath him. He feels nothing mystically strange here the way Akechi did, but the thought that there might be something lying underneath the surface still creeps in from the back of his mind from time to time.

 

“Sorry? I couldn’t quite hear you,” Ann interrupts his pondering with a laugh.

 

“Damn it, if I’m acting suspicious, it’s because you guys keep going on about it like this!”

 

“Not suspicious,” she clarifies. “You’re acting like a schoolboy with a cr-”

 

“Don’t say it,” he says before she can finish.

 

Instead of giggling at her mistreatment of him, Ann remains silent. Ryuji’s about to ask her if something happened when she huffs under her breath, sounding fond, “Futaba wants to talk to you.”

 

“What? Has she been listening?” Ryuji’s tone isn’t accusatory, merely curious. It’s been a while since he’s talked to her one on one.

 

“We were texting while you and I were talking,” Ann explains. “She didn’t want me to call and bother you, actually, but I did it anyway. You know, I was wondering why she suddenly stopped replying to me.” She giggles, “I’ve been hacked by Alibaba.”

 

“Get out of here, woman. Let me talk to the Number One Phantom Thief,” Ryuji teases with a pleased smile.

 

“Ooh, I’m telling Ren,” Ann retorts, but she adds with a deliberate whisper, “You’re right, though.”

 

Then, there is a decrease in the sound coming off the other end, signifying that Ann has hung up. It’s silent afterwards, so Ryuji ventures, “Futaba?”

 

She doesn’t respond right away, but when she does, it’s with a slow, meek tone, “Are you mad?”

 

“What? No, why would I be mad?” He asks gently, big brother instinct coming out full force. He never had anything like it in him until Futaba came in the picture. He and Ren would laugh about it while taking trips to Akiba with her, since neither of them have siblings, yet they were the ones she took to so strongly.

 

“We keep making fun of you about Koji,” Futaba elaborates. Ryuji sighs as inaudibly as he can. “I brought it up in the chat to tease you a little, but then everyone was piling on it a little too much, then Ann was saying she was upset you didn’t tell her anything. I tried to stop her from calling you, but-”

 

“Futaba, it’s okay,” he says with a laugh. “I can hold my own against the gang’s jokes, they don’t bother me as much as I play it up.”

 

“But we always make jokes at your expense.”

 

Ryuji shrugs, knowing full well how accurate that is, but it truly hasn’t ever bothered him enough to say anything; it hasn’t bothered him since the fight he and Morgana had. It’s always put people out more if he does, and he doesn’t see it to be worth the trouble. “I’m not mad. It’s no big deal.  _ You’re _ the ones causing all the drama,” he reassures teasingly.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Ryuji shakes his head, “Really, don’t worry about it.” He leans back, tenseness from his shoulders easing up, “Anyway. You and Ann, huh?”

 

“Oh, come on,” Futaba deadpans, and Ryuji chuckles, having successfully turned the focus away from himself.

 

“What, you can’t sic the group chat on me for my totally nonexistent love life and not let me tease you back,” he laughs.

 

“I said I’m sorry!” She yelps. “Mine’s nonexistent too! Probably indefinitely.”

 

Ryuji snorts, “Don’t be dramatic. Did ya hear how she sounded when she found out you hacked the call? She couldn’t have had bigger heart eyes.”

 

“You don’t know what her eyes were doing,” Futaba mumbles petulantly.

 

“Oh, are you an expert? Do you guys video cam and just stare into each other’s eyes?” Ryuji snickers.

 

“No!” Futaba huffs, “Well, yeah, we video chat, but…” She trails off with a hint of sadness, and Ryuji stifles his giddy mood. “There’s not anything there. Nothing’s going on.”

 

He reassures, “You know that’s just because you’re still in high school, right? What did Ann tell you exactly?”

 

Futaba groans, used to this by now from both him and Ren whenever she comes to them with insecurities about her crush, “We wait until I graduate. And then we’ll see how I feel about the idea of dating her.” Ryuji smiles. She doesn’t even stutter over the words anymore, having once been too flustered at the mere idea. She groans louder and Ryuji hears thumping, as if she’s flailing around her room. Not so composed, after all, he supposes. “ _ No pressure or anything _ because she’s perfect and so kind and sweet and- and- RYUJI!”

 

“I’m here, I’m listening,” he grins.

 

“The idea of getting over my feelings for Ann is  _ literally _ inconceivable,” Futaba stresses.

 

“I know,” he insists. “But trust me, you don’t wanna be dating anybody while you’re trying to take the entrance exams. That’s too damn stressful.”

 

“I guess you’re right. I’m just. Impatient. And worried,” she admits. “She’s meeting new people, people that are  _ her age _ , every day. I’m not worried about me losing my feelings for her. I’m worried about her finding someone better for her sooner.”

 

“That is literally inconceivable,” Ryuji echoes.

 

“I don’t think that word means what you think it means.”

 

He laughs, insisting, “I’m telling you, dude. She’s into you.”

 

Futaba pauses, letting the idea sink in. Then, she asks him, “Are you interested in dating at all?”

 

“Nah.” He immediately shrugs, “I’m just trying to make it through my first year. If it ends up happening, well. Then it happens.” He hastens to add, “Not with Koji.”

 

She whistles, “Wow, now I hope he doesn’t actually have feelings for you, ice queen.”

 

His body gives an involuntary shudder, “Definitely not.”

 

* * *

 

Ryuji is intensely grateful when his anatomy professor allows the class to use their time to study for exams instead of learning new material. He doesn’t think he can stuff any more information in his brain at the moment and he can’t focus when he’s so looking forward to seeing Akechi today. The guy has been at the forefront of his mind with both the PTs’ gossiping and the guys at the dorm talking about having plans with him but without Ryuji.

 

He swears that he doesn’t feel bitter, rather, he’s relieved. Akechi’s solitude surely was a contributing factor to all of his problems in Shibuya. Hell, Makoto even said just that to Akechi’s face- that they had only won against him because they had each other. Ryuji, too, felt hopeless and angry at the world until Ren, Morgana, and Ann formed the team with him. Having more friends can only prove to be a benefit to Akechi.

 

Still. It will be good to actually hang out with the guy and not have to censor himself as he has been by keeping secrets from everyone else. He sighs deeply at the thought, reminded that his friendship and history with Akechi is this strange, impossible thing tangled up in lies and deceit.

 

Yet, the calm tranquility he feels remembering sitting on the rooftop with Akechi, sitting at the diner with him, walking in the rain beside him- here’s more to Akechi than there seems, even under his second, third, maybe even a fourth layer. Discovering the truth is worth all the discomfort that sits in his stomach from lying to all of his friends.

 

The professors dismisses everyone with encouragements to keep up the hard work, and Ryuji closes his textbook with a self-deprecating chuckle. He’ll have to make up for the lack of focus later this evening if he wants to retain any information for this exam. He throws his things into his backpack before swinging it around his shoulder, exiting the lecture hall with a spring in his step.

 

The clouds are heavy with imminent rain but make the air thick with humidity. Ryuji had given Akechi directions to this section of campus the day before, but a quick survey of his surroundings doesn’t result in spotting him. He heads to the nearby smoking area, but doesn’t see anyone even resembling Akechi through the clear glass.

 

Ryuji’s posture slumps, and he pulls his phone out to see if Akechi has texted him at all. Concentration placed solely on his device, the sudden presence of something cold pressed against the back of his neck shocks him into action, springing forward and turning around sharply.

 

It’s just Akechi laughing lowly while holding two vending machine drinks. He’s holding a soda closer to Ryuji, most likely the one he pressed against his neck, and Ryuji snatches it from him. Akechi then opens his own drink, a milk tea, and takes a sip.

 

“You find the place okay?” Ryuji asks after taking a large gulp. It’s grape soda, and the sugar sits sweetly on his tongue.

 

Akechi hums in affirmation, then points his chin at the smoking area before them, “Did you think I’d be in there?”

 

“I dunno,” he shuffles. “I didn’t see you right away, so yeah, I guess I had the thought.”

 

“Am I really such an addict in your eyes?” Akechi’s eyes and smirk are sharp, and Ryuji feels tired from the mind games already.

 

“I think you’ve smoked literally every single time we’ve hung out,” he reasons, as if they’re in a goddamn courtroom. “Wasn’t unreasonable for me to guess you could be in there.”

 

Akechi’s lips turn down, looking at the smoking area, “Frankly, a glass box full of strangers and smoke is not appealing to me.”

 

Ryuji shrugs, “Okay, well, now I know for the future. This is how people get to know each other, by the way.”

 

“Ah, I understand. I’ll add that to my programming,” he jokes, smile softening.

 

Ryuji shakes his head with a chuckle, “Yeah, nice to see you, too. Only you would engage in conversational combat after not seeing their friend in weeks.”

 

Akechi laughs earnestly and puts his hands up, “Truce, truce.”

 

Ryuji relaxes with a sigh. “So. Grocery store?” He suggests, and Akechi agrees, leading the two of them in the direction of their destination.

 

Ryuji spends their walk trying to figure out a way to organically bring up Akechi’s other friends as a topic, not wanting Akechi’s snobby perception to come up with any inaccurate conclusions. The first words he’ll speak will be critical in how Akechi will perceive things, so he keeps his mouth firmly shut while he silently stews.

 

With a furrowed brow, but a confident smirk, Akechi interrupts his brooding, “Thank you for passing along your dorm mates’ contact information to me. They’ve ensured that I ‘get out and see the sunshine,’ as Tezuka-kun likes to tease.”

 

Ryuji can’t stop his eyes from bugging out in reaction to Akechi possibly being a mind reader. He shakes it off, stumbling through a recovery, “He’s telling everybody you suck at baseball.”

 

“Ha, well, he’s not wrong,” Akechi responds with an airy chuckle. The ease of it takes Ryuji back a bit, considering they’re talking about a weakness of his, but the tease is rolling off Akechi’s shoulders like he’s heard it a hundred times. The thought has Ryuji echoing his low laughter.

 

“Feel free to kick his ass if he gives you too much crap,” Ryuji shrugs, and Akechi’s laughing doesn’t waver. Ryuji’s own smile grows soft.

 

“Mihashi-kun tries to balance it out. Sometimes too much,” he adds. Then he smirks, saying cryptically, “But you should ask Tezuka-kun about bouldering.”

 

Ryuji’s face scrunches up, “What the hell is bouldering?”

 

“Rock climbing,” he explains.

 

“Oh, that sounds cool.” Ryuji grins, then nudges Akechi with his shoulder, “So Tezuka sucks at it?”

 

Akechi leans in close, whispering, “Scared. Of. Heights.”

 

“No!” Ryuji reels back, playing up his shock.

 

Akechi nods sagely, “But Mihashi-kun was surprisingly adept.”

 

They share another bout of laughter, and Ryuji feels lighter than he’s felt all month, test anxiety and angsting about growing apart from friends a long ways away in his mind. When he settles down into light chuckles, he asks, “Wait, how the hell did you guys get into that?”

 

“He gave me too much crap about baseball,” Akechi shrugged. “He was getting too cocky trying to rile me up in his own specialty, so I challenged him in mine.”

 

“Your speciality is rock climbing?”

 

“Bouldering,” he corrects.

 

“There’s a difference?” Ryuji frowns.

 

“Well, bouldering is what most people think of when they hear rock climbing,” Akechi begins explaining with a wave of his hand. It’s pretentious in the way Akechi just is, but Ryuji is drawn in with curiosity anyhow. He didn’t think studying so hard deprived him of interaction so badly until now, willingly letting Akechi lecture in great detail about his apparent hobby. “But bouldering is a type of rock climbing. There are others.”

 

“Like what?” Ryuji surprises himself by asking.

 

“They’re classified by what tools you’re using,” Akechi elaborates, motioning with his hands animatedly. The Detective Prince was always so poised and perfect, it’s nice to see Akechi moving about freely and talking passionately about something not nearly as serious as  _ justice _ or  _ criminals _ . Ryuji watches him go on with a faint smile. “Free, solo, lead, top rope- they all involve different tools, different strategies, different amounts of people.

 

“But bouldering involves none of those things. It’s just you and the rocks and you have to figure out the way up all on your own relying on just your strength and wits.”

 

“So it’s kinda like a puzzle you gotta solve?” Ryuji asks.

 

Akechi hums with a thoughtful look, “Yes, I suppose that is the appeal of it.”

 

Ryuji mulls the concept over in his mind before responding, “It’s like mountain running.” Akechi tilts his head, an encouragement for him to continue. “It’s a race you do all on your own, ‘cause the terrain is too rough to really do with a team. You gotta navigate the trail alone, decide which way is best for you to move forward, then eventually you get to the top.”

 

Akechi smiles, “And the feeling when you get to the top is… It’s unparalleled.”

 

When Akechi turns to him for affirmation, Ryuji nods with a hesitating slowness, “Yeah. I mean. Yeah. We only did it the one time before,” he taps his bad leg against the ground, eyes downcast, “before the team split up.” He forces his eyes back upward, “But yeah. It was great when I got up to the top. I can relate,” he reassures as Akechi continues staring him down with a serious expression. “I felt. A sense of pride. And accomplishment,” he elaborates when Akechi says nothing. “Like winning a race, you know. Or even stealing treasure from a palace.”

 

Regretting opening that line of conversation up, Ryuji hastens, “Not to say I think you’re wrong and the feeling  _ is _ actually paralleled, it’s not, it’s very much unparalleled. As you said.” Ryuji stops himself from embarrassing himself further by clearing his throat.

 

Akechi bites his lip, as if holding back laughter or, more likely, a snide comment. Ryuji keeps his eyes forward. “You’re more of a team player,” Akechi eventually assesses.

 

Ryuji’s shoulders drop just a bit, “Yeah. You could say that.”

 

“Or perhaps,” Akechi continues, voice curious, “It’s more about your ability to help others. That’s when you thrive best.”

 

Ryuji smiles tight-lipped and touches his nose, “You’ve got it, Detective. You cracked the case.”

 

“Do you not like me critically analyzing you?” He smiles, but it seems apologetic. Maybe he’s being cheeky.

 

They’ve come up on the grocery store at this point, and Ryuji grabs a cart to push inside with a roll of his eyes. He says over his shoulder as Akechi walks behind him, “More like you don’t have to. Just ask, you weirdo.”

 

They start down the first aisle, and Akechi steps up beside him, “I don’t know how to feel about this term of endearment you use for me.”

 

“Weirdo?” Ryuji clarifies unnecessarily. Akechi gives him a blank look, and he laughs, “Until a better one comes along, that’s what you get.”

 

“What can I do to earn a better name?” He asks with a pout.

 

Ryuji throws him a puzzled look, “Uhh, I dunno. When I can for real call you something besides Akechi, I guess.”

 

“Like my given name?”

 

Ryuji tries to play at nonchalance as much as he can muster, “Yeah. When we’re cool enough to go by first names, I’ll stop calling you weirdo.”

 

Akechi falls silent and trails behind. Ryuji stops the cart and glances around, realizing that they’ve been walking without purpose, “What’re we getting? What’re you making?”

 

Akechi’s already looking at his phone, no doubt reading off a recipe, “It’s a secret. What is our budget?”

 

Ryuji reaches behind him to tap the front of his backpack, where his wallet is, “Everybody pitched in 500 yen. I have it with me.”

 

Akechi hums, then grabs some spices and soy sauce from the shelves before them, “It’s not an expensive dish, but there is quite a lot of you.” He then motions for Ryuji to walk forward and they turn to the next aisle. Ryuji follows along easily, used to tagging along Ann’s clothing shopping or when Futaba needed help carrying her goods from Akiba. The difference now is that he has the cart to lean on if he needs to and, with a grateful feeling, he guides it along with a gentle push as Akechi gathers ingredients up.

 

He quickly loses interest keeping track of everything Akechi’s throwing in, choosing instead to enjoy the peaceful normalcy of their environment. It’s still early enough in the day that most students aren’t thinking about food for lunch or dinner yet, so the store is quiet with only a few mothers and grannies walking about.

 

He would talk to Akechi, ask him more about bouldering or what other things he and the others have been up to, but he seems so focused on getting what he needs for the meal he’ll be preparing, Ryuji contents himself with just watching him. They’re in the vegetable section and he watches Akechi pick up onions and put them back down if they aren’t to his satisfaction. When he finds a couple of sufficient quality, he adds them to the cart. Ryuji keeps on observing, a strange feeling hitting him in his stomach. He feels like laughing at himself for feeling something so visceral over something so mundane and letting inexplicable emotion twist his insides. It surprises him that Goro’s friendship has grown so quickly that he’s so happy to see him after only a few weeks.

 

It’s like when Akechi was in the middle of their living room, drawing attention from everyone around him just by existing. There’s something about him that compels Ryuji to keep his eyes on him, even when he’s doing something as simple as scanning the floor for his ingredients.

 

When Akechi has seemed to gather all of the vegetables he needs, he turns to Ryuji with an unsure smile, “Did I lose you?”

 

“Huh?” Ryuji replies blankly.

 

“You’re staring at me the way you do when you zone out,” Akechi runs a hand through his hair, flippant, “When you’re yearning for the past.”

 

“Oh,” Ryuji pushes his confusion away, saving it for maybe bringing it up later with Ren to talk through. He resumes pushing the cart forward, not even aware of where they’re going next. “Nah, I wasn’t doing anything like that, you’re good.” Akechi snaps back into action, stepping ahead of the cart quickly to lead the way, and Ryuji feels the need to add, “I don’t yearn for the past anymore. I’m happy with where I am, and where you are too.”

 

Akechi stops suddenly and whips around to face him, and Ryuji jerks the cart back to a halt to attempt to avoid hitting him. He thinks he’s hit Akechi’s ankle anyhow, but Akechi doesn’t react. He just stares at him wide-eyed and vulnerable in a way that looks like he can’t help it, or he’s trying to reel it in but can’t. It reminds Ryuji of how he looked in the rain outside of his apartment, or inside his room after Ryuji knocked on every single door trying to find him. A pure look of disbelief of what Ryuji’s said or done, and Ryuji shuffles his feet where he stands underneath Akechi’s unwavering gaze.

 

“Sorry,” he says with a gulp in vainly trying to think of anything better to say.

 

Akechi blinks, body unfreezing slowly from tension, and he shakes his head at Ryuji with a soft, “Don’t apologize, idiot.” He turns back around and starts walking, leaving Ryuji gawking at him with his mouth open wide.

 

“Idiot?” He chases after him, wheels of the cart clanking audibly as he speeds to catch up.

 

Akechi laughs easily, replying without pause in his gait, “When we’re cool enough, I’ll call you Ryuji.”

 

A stunned giggle escapes Ryuji, and they once again stop side by side. Akechi surveys the meat aisle before him, then he steps closer to choose what he’d like. Ryuji watches him again in lieu of nothing else interesting to look at, as Akechi gives the packaged pork the same treatment as the onions. 

 

“The kitchen staff are teaching me how to cook from time to time,” Akechi says idly, and Ryuji supposes it’s meant to explain his careful examining of everything he’s chosen to put in the cart. It adds a mindfulness to all of his actions that make them more meaningful than Ryuji would have expected Akechi to provide, even considering that he’s doing all of this as a favor for him and the dorm mates.

 

Akechi continues, “They’ve also given me tips for cooking large amounts of food, so I believe tomorrow will be a success in that regard.”

 

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Ryuji agrees.

 

Akechi throws him a quick smile as he places a few packets of meat into their cart. It’s a generous amount of food, but Ryuji imagines they’ll all go through it without difficulty. Akechi peers at all of their goods, eyes darting as if he’s making mental calculations or ensuring they have everything they need. 

 

He gives a satisfied nod and looks up at Ryuji, “Okay. I’m ready.”

 

They make their way to the front to check out, and Akechi glances his way periodically until he asks, “May I ask you something?”

 

Ryuji ignores the initial squeeze his stomach gives in an anxious reaction and casually says, “Sure.”

 

Akechi’s words are slow and steady, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you didn’t seem enthused while discussing mountain running. Understandably so,” he adds, somewhat hastily. Ryuji aims for a comforting smile, but he feels how shaky it truly is. Akechi takes a deep breath, as if steadying himself, “I suppose that I feel as if I interrupted you and what you had to say about it.” He gives Ryuji an unmistakably apologetic look, a complete lack of cheekiness. “But I am still curious as to what you think about it.”

 

Ryuji blows air through his mouth, stumped at how things turned so serious in a matter of seconds. He notices that they’re now walking at a snail’s pace, the cash register so far away and preventing him from escaping this particular topic of conversation. He looks down at their feet to avoid eye contact and to marvel at how the hell Akechi has and continues to set this slow-motion progression, and why Ryuji doesn’t fight it despite his discomfort.

 

“The one time we went,” he begins, already eager to get to the end, “It was early in the morning during the fall season. It was some bonding experience for the track team, I think. I didn’t get it ‘cause we were like, all racing against each other, you know? But it was beautiful, for real, and the air up there felt great. It was like. Tight, I guess? And it was harder to breathe, but I loved it. It was more of a challenge. The whole thing was challenging, like I kept tripping, my arms and legs got all cut up and dirty.”

 

He smiles fondly as the memories flow through him, leaving his mouth loose and free from reservation. Akechi matches the smile, and Ryuji feels emboldened to continue, “So I get to the top. And the sky is clear and you can see it for miles. There were a couple of guys up there already, clapping me on the back to welcome me. We would welcome every person who made it up. And that’s when I understood the bonding exercise. We were driven apart only to come back together stronger.”

 

Then, Ryuji’s smile turns bittersweet. The track team never did something like that again, never got the chance to. Their coach left, and Kamoshida took his place. He was sided against, punished violently and excluded for standing up for himself. He inconvenienced and embarrassed his mother, and he disbanded the team. Even though Ren helped him mend what was broken, helped him reform the team with proper leadership, he’d never get to experience that mountain peak like that again.

 

It’s selfish, he thinks, considering that becoming friends with Ren and the rest of the Thieves gave him a fulfillment and sense of belonging brighter than any sunrise, but he still feels the deep cut of lost opportunities to his heart.

 

“You know, there’s a mountain run up Mt. Fuji?” He asks Akechi, who seems to understand the question as hypothetical given his silence. “After that day, I really looked into it- did the research, see how feasible it’d be to do. I thought it’d be really cool if everybody on the team signed up together. But, ah.” He swallows thickly. “I don’t think I could even do a regular hike up there.”

 

They both let his pathetic admission hang in the air as they approach the queue for the register. Ryuji busies himself looking at the nearby candy shelf, eyes passing over the bright colors of the packaging unseeing. They land on a row of cigarettes and stop, and he briefly wonders if Akechi needs another pack. He glances his way, only to see him staring off just as blankly . Concern tries to overtake his melancholy, but they both end up sitting heavily on top of each other in his stomach.

 

Akechi blinks back to focus and looks at him with an awkward smile, “I hear that Mt. Fuji is overrated.”

 

Ryuji stares, then guffaws with a loudness that startles both the cashier ahead of them and an old lady standing nearby. Akechi busies himself by piling their items on to the conveyor belt, and Ryuji feels thankful as he stands there uselessly, trying to get his breathing under control. How the hell did Akechi drag that memory out of him? He doesn’t even think that he’s told anyone else about mountain running before today, let alone about his desire to run up Mt. Fuji.

 

Wiping a stray tear away, he looks at Akechi in disbelief, “Mt. Fuji? Overrated?”

 

Akechi shrugs with a defensive, “I don’t know. I’ve never been, so I can’t say. But that’s what I hear.”

 

“You’ve never been?”

 

Akechi moves his head to confirm, then holds out his hand expectantly, “I need money.”

 

Ryuji shakes his head with a slow grin, reaching for his wallet and fishing out the bills to hand over. Akechi’s avoiding eye contact by turning his charms over to the cashier, actions jerky like he didn’t expect this turn in the conversation either. Or at the very least, his response wasn’t as calculated and perfected as he would have liked. 

 

Ryuji juts his chin towards the cigarettes, “You don’t need another pack?”

 

Akechi takes the bait easily, rolling his eyes, “I’d love to meet this version of myself you seem to know to be a chainsmoker.” 

 

Akechi and the cashier finish putting their items into boxes, and once Ryuji sends a quick text to Aomine, he moves to pick one up with both hands. Akechi grabs the other, balancing it on one arm at the crux of his elbow. Ryuji frowns at the box, curious about his form until Akechi moves ahead of him with a smoothness that reminds Ryuji of how he walks while working at the diner. It’s a server’s way of carrying things, he realizes, and he follows behind him with an impressed look.

 

Once they’re outside, Ryuji sets the box down, explaining, “Aomine’s gonna meet us here, help us carry the stuff.” Aomine was somehow the only dorm mate available to help them carry the groceries back home, and Ryuji chooses to be thankful that he got this time alone with Akechi instead of lamenting its end.

 

Akechi nods while setting his box down, then crosses his arms in a picture of nervous energy. Hoping it’s not another serious topic incoming, Ryuji chuckles, “What?”

 

“I’m sorry I undermined you for wanting to climb Mt. Fuji,” Akechi blurts out. “I attempted to make light of the conversation, but it was insensitive of me.”

 

Ryuji shrugs, teasing, “Eh, I’m used to you being insensitive.” Akechi huffs and his frown deepens with frustration. Ryuji sighs and tries again, “You did what you wanted. It was funny, and I laughed, and I’m not feeling sorry for myself anymore. There’s plenty of stuff I can still do. Hey, maybe I’ll give bouldering a try,” he adds with a grin, feeling it widen when Akechi relaxes and drops his arms back to his sides.

 

“I wanna see what you’re talking about,” Ryuji decides. “That unparalleled feeling.”

 

A strange, peaceful lull falls over them, leaving them looking at each other without the need to say anything further. This shopping trip ended up meaning more to Ryuji than he could ever have guessed, and there’s a newfound understanding and closeness that he feels between them. The thought makes his face grow hot, continuing the trend of his body reacting in ups and downs this whole day, and he scratches the back of his head sheepishly. Akechi’s head is angled down, and he looks up at Ryuji through his bangs, hair loose and free, with something unreadable.

 

“There’s my guys,” Aomine’s voice calls out, and they both step back as if awakened from a trance. Ryuji clears his throat in a picture of normalcy and nods at the newcomer, who beelines to Akechi.

 

“Let me grab that for you,” Aomine leans down and hoists the box into a one-hand hold, balancing it on his shoulder. Akechi begins to protest in a show of politeness, but Aomine interrupts with a chuckle and places a familiar hand on Akechi’s upper arm, “Really, it’s no trouble.”

 

Ryuji eyes the contact between them with a frown, then shakes his head at his own ridiculous reactionary jealousy and lifts up the other box. He starts walking without looking back, “We better get to the dorm to put this stuff away. Plus Akechi’s got work later.”

 

A glance behind him shows that they’re following him, Aomine sidling next to Akechi to chat with him. Ryuji keeps his head forward to give them privacy. He’s had plenty of time with Akechi, he deserves the same with other people as well.

 

Ryuji focuses internally about what he has left to complete before the semester ends- his essays are done, he has the math and anatomy tests to study for, he’ll have to check on his lab group and see if everyone’s done their part so they can do the finishing touches to get that done…

 

He doesn’t realize how deeply he’s been thinking until he feels the weight of the box lessen, and he sees Akechi grabbing one side of it to help carry it. He tilts his head as a question, and Akechi answers, “You fell behind.”

 

Sure enough, Aomine is waiting up ahead, groceries still sitting upon his shoulder. Despite the heat, he looks unperturbed in any way. Meanwhile, it now comes to Ryuji’s attention that he’s dripping with sweat, body hot in the way that he feels like his bones are cooking. He wheezes, “ _ Shit _ .”

 

“Give me,” Akechi demands, his other hand reaching to take the box from him. Ryuji relents, shaking out his hands and arms with a mumbled apology. Akechi doesn’t acknowledge it, just matches his pace. Aomine doesn’t backtrack, choosing to keep on ahead of them.

 

It’s an inconvenience, walking this slowly to accommodate him, so he tells Akechi, “You don’t have to walk with me.”

 

Akechi jerks his head in an attempt to get his bangs out of his eyes, failing due to the sweat making them stick to his forehead. Ryuji takes comfort in not being the only one uncomfortable from the heat. “I do too,” Akechi argues. “If I get tired, you have to help me.”

 

“Fair enough,” Ryuji breathes, fidgeting his arms to keep them away from his sweaty sides. “This heat is miserable, man.”

 

“It’s only going to get worse,” Akechi points out.

 

“We shoulda got a watermelon,” Ryuji laments.

 

“Next time.”

 

They’re in the final stretch when Ryuji takes one side of the box to hold, helping carry it with Akechi. The heat is oppressive in the way that it makes all words dry up on the tongue, so they remain silent until they get to the dorm. The door is thankfully unlocked, and they barrel in and make for the kitchen. Aomine has been diligently putting the groceries from his box away, but he stops with a grin when they place theirs on the counter and slump into heaving sighs.

 

“Water?” He offers both of them. Ryuji nods in gratitude and Aomine fetches two glasses for them, handing one to Akechi first. Ryuji gulps all of his down without a care, and Aomine addresses Akechi, “We can take care of this if you want to go sit down, take a load off.”

 

Akechi doesn’t respond until he’s finished taking a generous sip from the glass given to him, “If I’m cooking all of this tomorrow, I should know where everything is. I don’t wish to waste time searching for ingredients if it can be avoided.”

 

Aomine chuckles and lifts his hands up in a placating gesture, “You got it, boss.” Ryuji feels a knee-jerk reaction to defend him, the same as he felt when Yamamoto called him snobby the first time he came over, but he stifles it, recognizing there’s nothing to get defensive about. He straightens up when Akechi peers into the boxes, prepared to help out as needed.

 

With his hands now free, Akechi pulls his hair back and ties it up loosely. With one hand on his hip, jutted out slightly, he directs both Aomine and Ryuji where to put certain items to maximize his productivity for tomorrow. They follow along with nods, but once everything is put away, Aomine touches Akechi in the same spot as he did outside the grocery store, “I feel like you’re our den mother. Wendy feeding the lost boys.”

 

Ryuji’s eyes zero in on Aomine’s hand again before he forces them away, turning to Aomine sternly, “If you’re paying him a compliment, it doesn’t sounds like one.”

 

Aomine narrows his eyes, but takes a step back, hand leaving Akechi’s arm, “I just mean that Akechi seems so much more capable in the kitchen than the rest of us.” He points at one of the cabinets, “We couldn’t have had hardly called that a spice cabinet until today. This place was  _ barren _ .”

 

“Yes, I’m very well aware how lost you all are in such a setting,” Akechi interjects with a roll of his eyes. “You’ve let yourselves succumb to societal norms, and it would have left you starving if not for me.”

 

“We have the utmost of gratitude,” Aomine thanks with a slight bow of his head. Ryuji stares at him incredulously. Since when does he talk like this? “We’ll be in your care, Wendy-chan.”

 

Ryuji’s irritation flares, but Akechi cuts in first with a sharp smile, “I’d have to ask you to address me properly or you might not eat tomorrow.”

 

“I surrender,” Aomine assures, his smile taunting. “Goro-kun.”

 

Ryuji damn near runs out of the room before he lets his anger ruin one of Akechi’s friendships. It wouldn’t be fair, letting how he reacts determine how other people see Akechi- that’s for him to work out. He collapses on the couch next to Sakuragi, glaring at the TV with his arms crossed.

 

“You alright?” Sakuragi asks.

 

Ryuji keeps his eyes forward, voice terse, “Fine. I needed to cool down.”

 

Out of his periphery, he sees Sakuragi turn his head towards the kitchen, no doubt seeing Akechi and Aomine continue their conversation. A lazy grin crawls on his face, but he doesn’t say anything.

 

“Akechi-kun,” Mihashi calls out at the table, waving him over, “I saw that movie you told me about.”

 

Ryuji’s eyes are drawn back to Akechi when he exits the kitchen to approach Mihashi, leaving Aomine behind in the doorway. He watches them talk lowly for a few minutes, fidgeting as he keeps himself firmly seated and out of their space.

 

He doesn’t know why he’s so defensive, why he feels the need to walk up to them and squeeze himself into the conversation. Ryuji knows that Akechi’s hung out with Mihashi before, and the way they’re talking shows how comfortable they are, especially in comparison to Akechi’s sharp tongue in response to Aomine’s crude humor. But Ryuji notices that Akechi hasn’t made any moves to sit down or make himself comfortable. It’s as if he’s standing perfectly poised, so as not disturb the environment he doesn’t feel like he’s apart of. 

 

If Ryuji could create a bridge for him, a way to these new connections, he wouldn’t feel so worried on Akechi’s behalf; but what Ryuji’s learned about Akechi these past few months is that he is capable of trying and he is capable of making positive changes. Ryuji was a good stepping stone towards more friendships so that Akechi could branch out of his self-inflicted isolation, but Ryuji’s got to release his vice on him. He’s the first friend, that doesn’t mean he’s the most significant. 

 

Akechi steps away from Mihashi, looking to Ryuji with a sense of finality, “I’d best head home to get ready for work.”

 

Ryuji stands up with haste, nodding his head towards the front door, “I’ll walk you out?”

 

There’s a chorus of farewells and see you tomorrows from the dorm mates until the two of them step outside and Ryuji shuts the door behind them. The sun hangs high, plateauing before it will set and the sky will darken. Akechi has yet to descend down the small set of stairs, seeming hesitant to part. Feeling similarly, Ryuji suggests, “I can walk you home if you want.”

 

Akechi smiles at him knowingly, “You’ve got studying to do.”

 

“That’s what tomorrow is for,” Ryuji tries to argue, but he knows it doesn’t hold much weight. He wiggles his toes inside his bare socks to prove the point to himself. “Don’t work too hard, say ‘hi’ to Auntie for me.”

 

Akechi nods with a promise, and they make plans to text each other in the morning before Akechi comes over. He walks off with a wave, and doesn’t look back. Ryuji lingers on the step until Akechi turns the corner, vanishing from his eyesight.

 

When he tells Ren about his day later in the evening, he gets an infuriating reply:

 

**Amamiya Ren: I think he gave you the signal to kiss him at least three times**

 

* * *

 

Ryuji has been sitting in the common room for hours by the time the doorbell rings, and he gets up to answer it with no protest from the others in the room. Akechi greets him on the other side, face slack from the kind of exhaustion Ryuji has only recently gotten acquainted with as a new employee. Akechi waves his hand with a lazy flourish and announces, “I’m here.”

 

Ryuji chuckles and steps aside to let him in, “Hey, good to have you. How was work?”

 

Akechi groans vaguely in response and Ryuji nods in sympathy. After greeting the others in passing, Akechi heads for the kitchen and Ryuji follows him, picking a place out of the way to lean against while Akechi lays out whatever he needs for the meal he’s preparing. He watches Akechi pause next to the sink, eyeing the dishes inside. Some are from this morning, but most are from the day before. Ryuji doesn’t get the significance that makes Akechi stop the way he does, but Akechi gives him a look, “Did you eat breakfast today?”

 

Ryuji pauses thoughtfully, “Like  _ me _ me or all of us guys?”

 

Akechi blinks at him with an amused smirk, “Both, I suppose.”

 

“I ate,” Ryuji says with a shrug, but it doesn’t seem to convince Akechi, based off the look he’s giving him. “What, you want a food diary, want to know what I’ve eaten in the past twenty four hours?”

 

Akechi covers his mouth to stifle a laugh, “Maybe.”

 

Ryuji shakes his head when a smile pulls at his lips, “I had a protein bar. There is food in here,” he adds, patting his stomach. “But I didn’t wanna get too full before you made anything.” Akechi hums dismissively, stubborn as ever. “What did  _ you _ eat for breakfast?” Ryuji shoots back.

 

“Coffee,” Akechi responds, deadpan, before he resumes moving about the kitchen.

 

“You don’t drink coffee,” Ryuji reminds him, fidgeting nervously and hoping Ren stays as far away out of their minds as possible.

 

Akechi huffs under his breath, avoiding eye contact by glancing over his ingredients, “You are correct. I didn’t eat anything.” Now he looks up at Ryuji with a teasing smile, “So you better let me get to work.”

 

“Do you need help?” Ryuji offers, standing straighter.

 

“No, you get to studying,” Akechi reassures with a soft smile, “I’ll let you know when I need help dishing it all out to everyone.”

 

Ryuji moves to leave with a slow, lingering pace, “Alright. Don’t be afraid to ask if you need anything.”

 

Akechi’s already pulling out their rice maker and getting to work. He responds with a distracted nod, and Ryuji goes to settle down in the common room with the rest of the guys. Looking around as he gets his textbooks and notebooks from his bag, Ryuji thinks that this must be the first time they’ve all been able to be in the same room like this since Ryuji brought Akechi here the first time. Ryuji chooses to focus on the positivity of that instead of being suspicious that they’re only willing to do something like this for Akechi.

 

They’re drawn to him like the star he once was, but they’re blinded from seeing who he truly is. Ryuji’s eyes land on Mihashi, quizzing Hinata with flashcards, then on Tezuka who’s watching lecture videos on his laptop and frantically taking notes, and hopes that Akechi has started to feel more comfortable with the idea of being honest with others.

 

Furuya inches his way closer to him, holding a stack of flashcards, “Wanna study English with me?”

 

“Of course, dude,” Ryuji nods, taking the cards from him and they move to sit cross-legged facing each other. 

 

They take turns quizzing each other on vocabulary, and Ryuji is unsure how much time passes when Akechi taps him on the shoulder to get his attention. Ryuji looks up at him, and he nods his head towards the kitchen. Silent, so as not to interrupt the quiet atmosphere, it seems. Hinata’s head still perks up at the prospect that food is near when the two of them walk by.

 

Ryuji’s mouth immediately waters once they reach the kitchen, the aroma encompassing the entire room and hitting him with a wave of nostalgia. His heart warms, remembering how the kitchen back home would smell after his mom cooked something up. Comforting, and with the strongest correlation to the feeling of  _ home _ . There’s slices of pork, fried with panko breading on a plate to the side on the counter. On the stove, there’s beaten egg mixed with soy sauce and onions sizzling, and steam rises from the rice maker.

 

His stomach growls audibly, and he slaps his hand against it in a delayed reaction. Akechi chuckles, stirring his ingredients at the stove, “Could I ask you to portion out the rice into bowls?”

 

Shutting his mouth with a click, Ryuji mutters, “For sure,” before opening a cupboard to take out thirteen bowls. He busies himself with scooping rice into each one, glancing at Akechi from the corner of his eye to see him adding the finishing touches to the eggs cooking in the pan. He sprinkles diced scallions over it with a flourish, then takes one step back as he surveys his work with a critical frown.

 

Ryuji finishes getting rice for everyone and licks at his lips absent-mindedly, “Dude, I’m literally drooling. This looks amazing.”

 

Akechi’s head turns to him sharply, then back to the food again, eyes wide and blinking rapidly, “You’re welcome. You should let them know it’s ready.”

 

He contemplates going back out there, before changing his mind and shouting, “DINNER!” He then grabs a bowl and gently nudges Akechi over, picking out some pork slices and then drizzling the top of the rice with the eggs. Akechi watches him with a puzzled expression, no doubt clueless as to what awaits, and Ryuji gives him a playful smirk. With food and chopsticks in hand, he makes a quick exit back to the living room before the mob crashes in, “Thanks for the meal!”

 

He plops down on one of their couches, sitting cross-legged and taking up as much room as he can. He snickers under his breath as he hears a cascade of shouts of joy and thank yous from the other room. If he responds, Ryuji doesn’t hear Akechi’s voice over the guys’ cheers, and he grins as he takes a generous bite of his food. The taste hits his tongue and he groans loudly to the empty room, his head thumping the back of the couch. This is one of the best damn things he’s ever eaten, and he’s sure it could even rival his own mom’s cooking.

 

He looks up as each person files into the room, watching out for Akechi so he can tell him those exact thoughts. Akechi once lived under a shower of compliments, but Ryuji gets the feeling he’s been in a drought as of late. Ryuji feels Furuya’s eyes pass over him and the lack of room on the couch beside him, but he says nothing in favor of finding another place to sit with a friendly smile. 

 

Akechi is the last one to filter in, finding Ryuji right away and moving to sit on the couch with him. Ryuji moves his legs to accommodate, and Akechi hovers for a brief moment before sitting right beside him.

 

Ryuji gives him an earnest smile, swallowing to free his mouth to say, “This is really good. Like. I might start crying.”

 

Akechi huffs, and his hand reaches up to fiddle with the hair near his ear, obscuring most of his face as if he’s been rendered bashful, “You don’t seem the type to be stingy with your tears.”

 

Ryuji feels his chest puff out, and he frowns, “That was meant to be a really sincere compliment. Don’t take my tears for granted.”

 

Akechi smirks with a doubtful hum, “Everything is sincere with rose-tinted glasses.”

 

They stare each other down, and Ryuji slumps with a sullen huff, taking another large bite. Seeming to be satisfied with his perceived win, Akechi takes a bite as well, and the room dissolves into mindless chatter. Mihashi compliments on his cooking, Aomine attempts to persuade him to come by to feed them more often, and other chatter directed his way wash over Akechi. He gives them subdued reactions in turn. Ryuji feels irritated at Akechi for his earlier insinuations, and leaves them to it without interfering. 

 

Furuya holds his bowl up as if to examine it, and grins widely, “Ah, I get it.” Ryuji looks at him, brows pulling in with bewilderment. Furuya nods to Akechi, whose attention has been turned to him as well, “Katsudon for good luck. So that we’ll pull through victorious.”

 

A dawning realization hits Ryuji, and he whips his head at Akechi, who isn’t as fast this time to hide the redness that overtakes his features. A slow grin crawls on Ryuji’s face, and a giggle escapes him.

 

“No,” Akechi denies immediately, looking at Ryuji sternly. Furuya cackles from the sidelines and Ryuji raises a finger in a daze to point at Akechi’s flushed cheeks. Akechi slaps it down, then his eyes widen as if he didn’t expect the action from himself. He ducks his head down, chopsticks skimming over what’s left of his rice absently.

 

“That’s so nice of you,” Ryuji says, not a trace of sarcasm in sight.

 

Akechi’s teeth grind, then he looks him right in the eye, responding with conviction, “I  _ am _ capable.”

 

Ryuji chooses to nod solemnly in agreement, getting the impression that Akechi’s had enough of his words, no matter how sincere they are.

 

“This pork is so tender,” Sasagawa says with a half-full mouth, and the tense mood calms. “It’d probably be really good with curry too.”

 

“Aw, man I love curry,” Nagisa agrees.

 

“Akechi, will you make us curry sometime?” Hinata asks.

 

Now Ryuji finds himself playing with his food, albeit only left with a handful of grains to toy with. Ren cannonballs through the window and stops the record with a scratch, leaving blood to soil the carpet.

 

There’s a pause, as if the whole room is waiting with bated breath, until Akechi gives Hinata a dazzling smile, “If I learn how, I will definitely give it a try. Just be gentle with my feelings when you critique it, okay?”

 

The crowd laughs, and Ryuji shakes as it reverberates like there’s a hundred of them instead of a dozen. Stage lights shine upon him, blinding him and making him sweat. Akechi sits next to him- close, yet he’s a whole world away. At a glance, he sees Akechi’s smile twitch, barely plastered together, and that’s the last straw. He stands with a jolt, and to save face, he mutters, “Thanks for the food.” He then turns to Akechi, gesturing to his bowl, “Finished eating?”

 

Akechi blinks and looks up at him, Detective Prince having vanished. Ryuji breathes a sigh of relief, and Akechi nods mutely, handing the bowl to him. Ryuji makes the rounds, collecting dishes and moving to the kitchen to clean up. He deposits them in the sink and then grips the edge of it, taking deep and steadying breaths. His head hangs low and his eyes slip shut as his heartbeat slows down from its anxious pace.

 

“Need help?” He hears, and he straightens up with a sharp inhale. He glances behind him to see Akechi at the doorway, and busies himself by turning the faucet on and getting to washing the dishes.

 

“Nah, man, you made food. You shouldn’t have to clean up too,” he answers, getting a sponge sudsy with soap and picking up a bowl. He focuses on his hands and the warm water running over them, but his ears still pick up the sounds of Akechi’s careful footsteps, and he feels a gentle nudge as he sidles next to him.

 

Akechi holds his hand out for the bowl, and he rinses and dries it off to place it to the side once Ryuji relents. “I need a break as well,” he murmurs, and Ryuji can’t fault him for that. They tag team the dishes with a peaceful silence, and Ryuji feels the atmosphere calm to a low hum with each dish placed aside. With a content smile, he elbows Akechi’s side playfully, chuckling when Akechi refuses to acknowledge him outright. He increases his nudging, and Akechi bites his lip to keep himself from grinning. Ryuji laughs in triumph.

 

When all the dishes are cleaned, they break apart. “Thanks for cooking. Seriously, it was amazing,” Ryuji compliments once more in the hopes of maybe getting through Akechi’s stubborn blockade.

 

Akechi shrugs, noncommittal, “I hope it has helped lift everyone’s spirits in preparation for your exams. If you wish, I’ll cook for you again. Just…” He trails off with a weak laugh, “Perhaps we could lessen the amount of mouths to feed.”

 

Ryuji echoes his laugh, scratching the back of his head. Sheepish, yet considerate for all the work Akechi really has put into for all of them today. Giving his thanks once again might come off as repetitive, so he refrains. However, a delivery box sitting under his bed pops into mind and he gasps with an excited grin, “Dude. Come with me.”

 

Akechi’s head tilts, and Ryuji doesn’t wait, already heading out to make his way upstairs. He hears Akechi following behind, so he keeps up his gait until they reach the second floor, then the door leading to his room.

 

“How mysterious,” Akechi teases, but Ryuji knows he’s holding himself cautiously. Ryuji’s grin widens as he opens the door and gestures both of them inside.

 

He sits on his bed, watching Akechi attempt to survey the room subtly, as if he’s been caught breaking in instead of entering by invitation. Ryuji draws his attention away by pulling the box out from underneath him, holding it out between them for Akechi to take. Akechi stares at him blankly, and Ryuji says, “Take it?”

 

Akechi does with hesitant hands and Ryuji leans back, eager to see his reaction to the birthday gift. Akechi’s slow in his actions, studying the box for several moments before he puts it down at his feet so he can sit in front of it and pull the flaps back to reach for its contents. Ryuji’s too hyperactive to think of the connotations associated with Akechi’s uneasiness, too busy shaking his leg as he waits for Akechi to just look at the damn thing.

 

Akechi stares into the box unmoving, and Ryuji leans in close to peer inside, worried that maybe he had taken it out and forgotten. No, there sits the waffle maker, laying closed and half-folded. With its metallic exterior, it actually has the appearance of a briefcase- just like Akechi’s old one. Ryuji hadn’t even thought of that when he bought the thing, but now he’s cursing himself as Akechi stares at it with a distrustful glare.

 

“It’s a waffle maker,” Ryuji explains hastily. Desperate to mend the situation, he reaches in and pulls it out to open it and show him. “I knew you liked pancakes- but maybe you don’t. Anymore. So I thought a waffle maker might be a safer bet. It’s not just a waffle maker though, this thing makes everything, um. Eggs, bacon, effin’  _ sandwiches _ . I was just thinking like. You might need stuff for your house, and- and- breakfast is important. Even though you told me earlier you don’t even eat breakfast. But maybe now you will if you have this thing. I just thought this would be a good birthday gift in general-”

 

“Sakamoto,” Akechi interrupts. His voice sounds shaky and Ryuji stops himself, hearing Akechi swallow thickly. He looks up at him, and Akechi has his mouth twisted like he’s biting back emotion. Ryuji sits stunned. “ _ Thank you _ ,” Akechi whispers, the low murmur making the words feel more prized and treasured to Ryuji’s ears.

 

“Happy birthday,” Ryuji whispers back, smile relieved.

 

Akechi laughs, still with a hint of disbelief, “You’re very late.”

 

“Ugh, I know,” Ryuji groans. “I was saving up, then I wanted it to be a surprise. The guys knew, and I made them swear not to tell you. And then there’s been exams and shit.”

 

A dawning look hits Akechi’s face, “So that’s what Tezuka-kun has been giggling about.”

 

“Did he think the waffle maker was stupid?” Ryuji asks, eyebrows turned up with worry. Maybe if he’d known it was stupid, he could’ve gotten Akechi a better gift and not have to bend over backwards to justify it.

 

Akechi waves his hand frantically, dismissing, “He’s taken a liking to teasing  _ me _ , and withholding information from me because he likes winning.”

 

“You know, you should really remind him how much he sucks at  _ Mario Kart, _ ” Ryuji crosses his arms, and Akechi laughs more freely. Ryuji’s pout threatens to break in favor of a grin, but he keeps it steady.

 

Akechi’s face softens when he takes the waffle maker from Ryuji’s hands, fingers skimming over it with a gentleness that bewilders Ryuji. He understands the apprehension, but the strong emotional reaction surprises him. He’s glad that Akechi seems to appreciate the gift, but there’s a part of him coming away from this with sadness, and a determination to rectify the cause of it.

 

“I’m sorry I teased you for crying easily,” Akechi jokes, tilting his face up. “Clearly, I was calling the kettle black.”

 

“It’s okay to cry,” Ryuji reassures sincerely. Akechi rolls his eyes, but Ryuji holds his gaze steady.

 

Seeming to want to escape it, Akechi huffs, “Don’t you have studying to do?”

 

“Shit, yeah,” Ryuji responds with a groan. He stands up, then holds a hand out for Akechi, “You good to head down?”

 

Akechi shuts the waffle maker, returning it to its briefcase-like appearance, and accepts the extended hand to pull himself up. When they’re eye-level, Akechi nods with a small smile. Ryuji leads them out of the room and downstairs, suggesting, “You can help me study for my anatomy exam.”

 

The guys downstairs have settled back into their divided groups, engrossed in their work with full bellies and low murmurs. When they join back in, Mihashi and Katsuki both look up with encouraging smiles directed Akechi’s way. Ryuji hears a couple of whistles and responds with his middle finger. 

 

The couch that Ryuji and Akechi sat on has remained unoccupied, and Ryuji heads in that direction. He takes a seat on the floor in front of it, pulling his notebook on the coffee table closer to him. Akechi takes a seat on the couch, refraining from taking too much room. 

 

No one appears as if they want to move from their spots, so Ryuji raises an eyebrow at him, looking from Akechi’s legs to the rest of the couch. He has to coax Akechi into relaxing and making himself comfortable, just like last time. After surveying the room once more, Akechi takes the hint and swings his legs up to spread himself out. Ryuji gives an encouraging nod, then hands him some flashcards, “Quiz me.”

 

Akechi accepts them, shuffling them around before straightening them into a neat pile and Ryuji readies himself. Akechi clears his throat, “Chondroblast.”

 

“That’s a type of cell that forms new cartilage for bones,” Ryuji answers.

 

Akechi nods, flipping to the next card, “Where does the body store minerals?”

 

“In the compact bone.”

 

Another nod, “Explain the difference between the red marrow and the yellow.”

 

“Red, red,” Ryuji mutters. “Red marrow produces the red blood cells, and yellow marrow stores fat.”

 

Akechi looks thoughtful as he reads the next card, “Explain the bone remodeling process.”

 

Ryuji rubs a hand on his bad leg, “There are cells that are always breaking down old bone called osteo _ clasts _ .” He exaggerates the consonant sounds and continues when Akechi nods, “Then the osteo _ blasts _ replace it with new bone tissue.”

 

Akechi hums, then puts the flashcards down and sits up, “This is about bone growth?”

 

“And how broken bones heal, yeah,” Ryuji confirms.

 

“So you’ve shown you know the terms, but can you apply your knowledge?” Akechi asks, and Ryuji knows he would have once thought of it as condescending, but he recognizes that he’s wanting to help. 

 

Still, he answers with a dull, “Uh…” As if all of his knowledge has suddenly left him.

 

“Excellent.” Akechi holds out his right arm to him, “I fractured my forearm when I was younger. Describe how it healed.”

 

Ryuji frowns in thought at the arm before him, fingers twitching. Accepting that he’s a tactile learner, he grabs Akechi’s offered forearm as unobtrusively as possible, feeling the stiffness that lingers after a break. He can’t discern when exactly the bone was broken, or if there were complications in the healing process, so he goes with the usual textbook answer.

 

“So the bone breaks,” Ryuji starts, twisting Akechi’s arm back and forth absentmindedly. Akechi lets him play with the limb, listening patiently. “And a fracture hematoma forms. It’s a- a blood clot that keeps the bone in place so it can mend it.” He traces a line down the arm, and barely notices the shiver that runs through Akechi. He continues, “The blood flow gets cut off, so the bone cells start dying. This results in swelling and inflammation.” He taps his thumb in the area he thinks this would have occured in Akechi’s forearm.

 

“There’s a lot of same-sounding words in the next step, so I might screw up,” Ryuji warns. Akechi smiles mutely. “So the fracture hematoma turns into a tougher tissue called the soft callus.” Ryuji pauses, trying to recall his notes. “Protein… Protein… You gotta have the protein in the bone. The, uh, fibro _ blasts _ produce the collagen, which is the protein in the bone and connecting tissue. Then the  _ chondro _ blasts come in to produce fibro _ cartilage _ .”

 

Ryuji sighs heavily, “Okay, this is the word I never remember.” 

 

Akechi reaches for the flashcards with his other hand, looking for the exact word, no doubt. Ryuji shuts his eyes to concentrate, fingers running aimlessly over Akechi’s arm. “The soft callus becomes tougher, and it turns into, into… Fibro…”

 

“It sounds like what chondroblasts produce,” Akechi supplies, reading off of a card.

 

“Right,” Ryuji agrees. “Fibro-car-til-a-gin-ous callus.”

 

“The pronunciation leaves something to be desired,” Akechi teases, “But that is correct.”

 

Ryuji breathes another sigh, “The callus connects the two broken pieces together temporarily.” Ryuji slides his thumbs together across Akechi’s forearm in demonstration and he looks up, finding that Akechi’s eyes are locked to where they’re touching. Where they have been touching the whole time Ryuji’s been talking, he realizes with a flush.

 

He tries to wrap up as fast as possible, “Uh, yeah, so this is when the bone remodeling stuff with the osteoclasts and osteoblasts happen for months until the bone heals.” He releases Akechi’s arm a little too quickly, and he shuffles in his spot on the ground.

 

If Akechi thinks anything of it, he doesn’t say anything. He does settle back into the couch and lays his arms over his stomach, voice soft when he says, “I think you’ll do just fine on this exam.”

 

Ryuji responds with a bashful grin, turning around to pick his next subject to work on. Sakuragi, across the table from him, has a sly grin, “Sakamoto, I love it when you talk dirty.”

 

Ryuji throws his pen at him. The room transforms into a fit of giggles. He raises a hand to give them the finger again, and Sakuragi grabs it to jerk it in a crude motion. Ryuji pulls it from his grasp, and they stick their tongues out at each other.

 

“Ya look a little flushed, buddy,” Furuya comments, laughing when Ryuji gives him a betrayed look.

 

“It’s getting hot in here,” Nagisa sings.

 

“I feel just fine,” Aomine interrupts him before he sings another verse. “Pretty sure Sakamoto’s the only one feeling  _ warm _ , yeah?”

 

Hinata laughs high-pitched, “Yeah, it feels nice and cool all the way over  _ here _ .”

 

The room is loud with their harassments, but Akechi’s displeased huff overtakes every other voice. He doesn’t look back at him in favor of trying more earnestly to get the guys to calm down; thankfully, Mihashi notices. The two of them working together combined with some noticing Akechi’s lack of amusement gets the noise to die back down.

 

“We’re just playing around, Goro-kun,” Aomine reassures, and Ryuji clenches a textbook in his hand. He’s good, he’s good, he swears to himself.

 

“Knock that first name shit off, man, you’re not smooth,” Sasagawa rolls his eyes at him. He then addresses Akechi, “Akechi-san, if you wanna get back at him, you can call him Yoshi.”

 

Hinata chokes back a laugh, and Aomine levels him with a glare. Ryuji grins at the banter, and the fact that it’s moved to a different target aside from himself. He turns around to check on Akechi and finds he is already looking Ryuji’s way with an amused smirk. 

 

Ryuji watches the transformation as Akechi’s smile softens and his eyes slip shut in a sickeningly sweet and downright hilarious display aimed at the basketball players, “I couldn’t possibly be so rude. Perhaps with time, I will feel comfortably able.”

 

Clearly, Aomine and Sasagawa are both charmed, and Ryuji’s shoulders shake in amusement. When it’s in a state of mockery, he feels no distress seeing Akechi’s plasticity. Assuaged by Akechi’s wiles, the guys go back to their own devices, and Ryuji looks to Akechi.

 

A little unsure of himself, he says, “If you think I’m good with anatomy, I guess I can let you off the hook.”

 

“You don’t have any other vocabulary or concepts to go over?” Akechi asks.

 

“Not really,” Ryuji shrugs. “I have a lot of reports and big projects, and those are all mostly done. But I can always work on math.”

 

Akechi slumps deeper into the couch with an exhausted yawn, “Let me know if I can help. I could always check your answers.”

 

Ryuji nods gratefully, turning to his notebook to get to work. He gets Yamamoto and Makishima to help by giving him practice problems and works slowly and diligently to fill out an entire page’s worth. Encouraged by being surrounded by support and how well he did explaining his anatomy notes, he feels confident when he double-checks all of his solutions.

 

To be sure, he turns around to allow Akechi to give him his judgement. He finds him fast asleep, face turned towards the back of the couch away from everyone. His breathing is deep and rhythmic, and Ryuji watches his chest rise and fall hypnotically.

 

“What is it that people say about patterns?” He mutters, still keeping his eyes on Akechi. With all the obstacles Ren jumps through to be able to be vulnerable around others, it surprises him that Akechi is so withholding of his honesty yet keeps letting it slip out like this. Maybe he has a different idea about vulnerability, Ryuji supposes. His words hold more truth as of late, but they’re usually still encased within thorny verbal battle. Even Akechi’s facial expressions, the way he moves,  _ everything _ he does, is acted like a performance to keep people at bay.

 

It’s like there’s two of him, and Ryuji’s trying to get to know both simultaneously. He hates that he hears, ‘classic Gemini’ in his head, and that it sounds like his own voice.

 

“Patterns?” Nagisa echoes. “You mean how he keeps crashing on us?” His tone turns incredulous, “Dude, he closed last night. And last time, he’d just got done with work. That’s how food service is.” He shrugs, “I do the same thing after a shift at Big Bang, but I got a bed here, so I can slip away to catch some shut eye.”

 

“Yeah, I- But-” Ryuji stumbles through an explanation, but there’s too much to get into. He gives up with a groan.

 

“Not sleeping,” Akechi then mumbles, face still turned away and eyes slipped shut.

 

Ryuji pokes Akechi’s arm before he can stop himself, “What’s that, Mumbles?” Akechi slaps his hand. Skillfully, considering he’s still not looking at him. “Do you want to go home?” Ryuji asks with sincerity. “So you can rest?”

 

“If you stop talking about me and give me a little bit, I’ll be fine,” Akechi grumbles. “Save your math problems for me to look at.”

 

“Okay,” Ryuji grumbles back in mockery.

 

“How about we celebrate our productive day with  _ Mario Party _ in a bit?” Aomine suggests.

 

“Only if you play as Yoshi,” Hinata giggles.

 

Aomine extends his leg to touch him with his foot, “I’ll kick you.” Hinata squeaks.

 

As if he can indeed sense that Ryuji’s still keeping his eyes on him, Akechi nods his agreement to the plan. Ryuji decides to let him be and he slides his notebook as subtle as he can to Makishima. Makishima raises an eyebrow in response, glancing between Akechi and Ryuji.

 

“I just wanna make sure I’m doing this equation right before I do anymore,” Ryuji whispers sheepishly as to keep Akechi unawares. “I don’t wanna practice something the wrong way, you know?” Makishima takes pity on him and accepts the pages from him.

 

What seems like a hundred flashcards and a round of coffee later, the group declares that they’re too burned out, and they’ve crammed all that they can into their brains for the night. Thinking about it anymore would be detrimental, so they close up their books and begin to head up to the fourth floor.

 

The noises of their shuffling get Akechi to stir and he sits up to stretch his arms over his head. Ryuji lingers to stick by him; his eyes are drawn to the motion of Akechi’s arms. The amount of musculature he finds surprises him- although it really shouldn’t. After talking about bouldering at length, it makes sense for Akechi to have a good amount of arm strength, but Ryuji’s still stupidly captivated by it.

 

He’s never noticed until now, wasn’t even remotely close to doing so in high school. All of the Thieves developed a good amount of physicality being in the Metaverse, but when Akechi was on the team Ryuji couldn’t even stomach looking at him, knowing of his plans for betrayal and attempted murder. And when they fought him face to face, there was a completely different feeling causing Ryuji to avert his eyes.

 

So it shocks Ryuji to see Akechi be more muscular than expected. And that’s why he can’t stop staring at his arms. Akechi’s arms drop into his lap, and Ryuji clears his throat, jerking his thumb towards the stairs, “Video games?”

 

Akechi gives him a slow nod, and Ryuji makes an aborted motion to help him stand up before he’s already moving on his own. His body stretches with audible cracks and Ryuji winces in sympathy. Akechi composes himself by playing with his hair, fixing it from a slightly disheveled state, and Ryuji feels a little more at ease seeing composure return to him. Although, Akechi’s arms moving about catches Ryuji’s eye once more, leaving him feeling even less poised.

 

“Are you alright?” Akechi asks, head tilting. “Your face has been flushed all day. Do you have a fever?”

 

Ryuji taps his leg, feeling the urge to run, “It’s the. Summer heat. I think there’s a window open somewhere?” He moves his head about as if to locate the window in question, and Akechi follows his movements uncertainly. No longer feeling eyes on him, Ryuji makes a mad dash for the stairs. Akechi makes a squawking sound behind him that should have Ryuji in tears from laughing, but he keeps pressing on until he reaches the fourth floor.

 

He bursts in and grabs a remote, collapsing into an armchair. He stares at the projector screen, stubbornly ignoring all eyes on him. He hears Akechi come in the room, and he glances at him to see him situating himself between Mihashi and Tezuka on the ground.

 

“You’re the last one in, so Daisy’s the last character left,” Mihashi tells Akechi apologetically, who shrugs.

 

“Luigi and Daisy had a lover’s quarrel,” Sakuragi comments with a snicker. Akechi makes an inquiring sound, and he points at Ryuji, “He picked Luigi. It’s a joke. You two are usually inseparable, so…”

 

Ryuji moves his foot underneath him to keep himself from tapping it vigorously, keeping his eyes on the screen. He did indeed pick Luigi, but he’s getting tired of all of the insinuations. With gritted teeth, he asks the room, “We gonna play?”

 

The game proves to be a good way to dissolve tension and frustrations, and Akechi proves to be better at this type of game as opposed to racing. He stands in front of the projector, mimicking Daisy’s victory poses as the rest of the guys laugh and whistle. They join in, Hinata making Bowser roars and Aomine imitating Yoshi. Ryuji feels a grin tug at him, and a weight lifts off his chest. With all the help he’s received lately, he’s not stressed out of his mind about exams anymore.

 

Akechi curtsies and gives a royal farewell wave, “I must depart now. Will my Green Knight walk me down?” He turns to Ryuji, holding a hand out to him delicately.

 

“Yeah, yeah, Your Highness,” Ryuji jokes, standing up and pushing the hand aside. Akechi chuckles and follows him as he exits the room, leaving behind the sounds of fake sobs and cries.

 

They’re quiet until they reach the front door, and Ryuji nods his head towards the living room, “Don’t forget the waffle maker. Or you can totally leave it here, I guess. Whatever you prefer.” He hangs his head and scratches at it. He feels so exhausted.

 

“Don’t be silly, I’m taking it with me,” Akechi frowns, picking it up and walking back over to stand beside him. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

 

A guilty heaviness makes itself known on Ryuji’s shoulders, “Yeah, I’m just tired. I’ve been so stressed for the past month, it’s all coming to a head this week. I’m sorry I was grumpy or rude.”

 

“You were fine,” Akechi answers with a small smile. “It’s understandable. I have all of the faith in you.”

 

The hunch in his shoulders turn bashful, and he grins, “Thanks. Like, for cooking, for helping me study, everything, dude. This was an awesome day.”

 

“I have to agree,” Akechi nods. “Thank  _ you _ for the birthday gift. I look forward to putting it to good use.” They’re wavering, yet despite his exhaustion, Ryuji does nothing to speed up their goodbye. “Perhaps you could join me,” Akechi suggests quietly. “I find more motivation to cook when it’s not just for myself.”

 

Ryuji’s answer is immediate, “Yeah, definitely. Absolutely. After finals?”

 

“It will be a celebration, then,” Akechi agrees. “Is my apartment okay?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Satisfied, Akechi twists the doorknob and opens the door, “Then we’ll sort out the details later? Good luck with your exams.”

 

Ryuji nods and says his thanks, head and chest feeling light as he watches Akechi leave with one last wave.

 

* * *

  
  


**Press F from Phantom Thieves (F is for Finals)**

 

**You: hey guysss best of luck to you all for finals!!!!!!! my grades look pretty good on all of mine so i know you guys can do it too!!! :D**

 

**Panther <3: I still dont get why ur finals were before everyone else’s :\ but im proud of u!! <3333**

 

**You: heeeeeheeeee**

 

**Joker: Good looking and he’s got brains? Be still, my heart.**

**Oracle: ewwwww**

**Joker: Do you really have any room to be talking?**

**Oracle: GOD.**

**Oracle: no but,,, ur my brother,,,, ur not allowed to flirt with people**

**Panther <3: im preeeeetty sure ryuji’s heart belongs to Koji <3**

 

**You: ugh**

 

**Joker: Koji wuvs wyujiiiii**

**Oracle: not surprising in the slightest**

 

**You: GUYS**

 

**Oracle: BECAUSE YOURE THE NICEST COOLEST GUY. there**

 

**You:**

**You: Flattery will get you nowhere**

 

**Oracle: whyd it take you so long to respond? :3**

 

**You: .....because that was really nice of you to say and i needed a moment**

 

**Oracle: :3**

**Noir: Hello everyone! :)**

**Noir: Thank you for wishing us luck, Ryuji! I’m very happy you’re exams went so well! :)**

**Queen: That is very good news. And it’s inspiring, if I’m being honest.**

 

**You: daaaw thanks**

 

**Oracle: i think flattery does get us somewhere….**

 

**You: ………..whatdoyouwant**

 

**Oracle: A KOJI UPDATE**

**Panther <3: Pleeeeeease?**

 

**You: so you guys can gossip some more? No thanks**

 

**Queen: We worry about you, being so far away. And you’ve been so diligent with your studies that you haven’t been messaging us. But we know you like positive reinforcement…**

**Panther <3: oooooh sexy**

**Oracle: if you dont tell us anything we’re gonna end up making things up….. :3**

 

**You: GOD**

**You: FINE**

**You: YOU GUYS ARE THE WORST**

**You: we’re having breakfast this morning**

 

**Panther <3: WHAT**

**Oracle: OMG**

**Noir: Ah, were you there the night before as well? ;)**

 

**You: HARU**

 

**Noir: Heehee, only kidding!**

**Joker: So he liked the waffle maker?**

 

**You: he did. I dont think he gets presents very often. So i think it shocked him.  But he is making breakfast with it today so he must appreciate it. Im omw there now**

 

**Panter <3: aww a waffle maker how cuuuute**

**Noir: I hope you have a pleasant time!**

**Oracle: you gotta tell us if theyre heart shaped**

**Panther <3: OMG YESSS**

**Joker: Ryuji. You have to marry him if he makes heart shaped waffles**

 

**You: ……...i REALLY dont think theyre gonna be heart shaped**

 

**Panther <3: we’ll wait and seeeee**

 

**You: DONT WAIT. STUDY.**

 

**Panther <3: pshhhhhh**

**Noir: Mako-chan, you’ll be coming over after class right?**

**Queen: Of course. I’m looking forward to it….. <3**

**Noir: !!!!! <3**

 

**You: See, why dont we get on their case more often**

 

**Panther <3: because theyre not DUMB and knew they liked each other right away. Plus why would we make fun of the best couple ever?**

 

**You: ur right ur right….**

 

**Fox: My, all of this love in the air….It’s so inspiring! Please wait a moment.**

**Queen: What’s happening?**

**Oracle: who knows**

**Fox: Spring blossoms long gone / Yet love still hangs in the air / Prevailing, young love**

**Oracle: hmmm**

**Oracle: 6/10**

**Fox: Excuse me?**

**Oracle: you have a spring keyword, but not a summer, which is the season we’re in**

**Oracle: and the last line is lazy**

**Oracle: also**

 

**Oracle changed Fox’s nickname to “it’s snowing on Mt. Fuji”**

 

**it’s snowing on Mt. Fuji: I don’t believe it is, though.**

**it’s snowing on Mt. Fuji: But I’ll take your critiques to heart, and workshop on this piece.**

**Joker: I liked it, Yusuke. Too bad I’m…. #foreveralone**

**Oracle: Good.**

**Joker: HEY**

**Oracle: You and Sojiro aren’t allowed to date anyone. Ever.**

**Joker: He got another date with Chihaya, didn’t he?**

**Oracle: NO**

**Oracle: ITS WORSE**

**Queen: Oh…**

**Panther <3: ??**

**Oracle: HE HAS ANOTHER DATE WITH SAE-SAN**

**Oracle: THINK ABOUT THAT**

**Oracle: ANOTHER. HE’S HAD MORE THAN ONE**

**Noir: Oh my…**

 

**You: hell ye Boss get it!**

 

**Oracle: Excuse me?**

 

**You: …...Sae-san is really attractive….I’m happy for him….**

 

**Panther <3: hey you keep your eyes on the Koji-shaped prize mister**

 

**You: STAAAAAAHP**

 

**Oracle: You are. Never allowed to speak to me again.**

 

**You: NO WAIT**

**You: FUTABA NOOOOOOOO**

 

**Oracle: Take. It. Back.**

 

**You: FINE.**

**You: BOSS SHOULD NOT BE DATING SAE-SAN**

 

**Oracle: Thank you.**

**Oracle: Now tell us your true feelings about Koji.**

 

**You: :|**

 

**Joker: Good one, sis.**

**Oracle: YOU ENABLE SOJIRO IM NOT SPEAKING TO YOU**

 

**You: my true feelings about koji are that im at his house now thank you and good day**

 

**Panther <3: i never took you for playing hard to get ;)**

 

**You: I SAID GOOD DAY**

**You: …..and dont stress too much remember to eat and drink water and good luck love u all**

 

**Oracle changed your nickname to “Sappymoto Strikes Again”**

 

Ryuji pockets his phone and knocks on Akechi’s door, glancing down the hallway from where he came. The elevator still hasn’t been fixed, and he’s panting lightly as he rubs at his leg. The complex is as weirdly silent as it was the last time he was here, and given the time of day, Ryuji suspects that most people have already left for work, or are still sleeping after completing night shifts. The landlord’s door is a few feet away, and Ryuji glares at it half-heartedly.

 

The door before him opens, and his head shoots back in its direction, greeting Akechi with a casual, “Hey.”

 

Akechi’s hair is pulled up in a loose bun, different from his usual ponytail, and his clothes look softer and less formal than usual as well. Ryuji looks him over, and his eyes land on his bare feet. He looks like he’s just rolled out of bed, and there’s something about it that puts a small smile on Ryuji’s face. Another imperfection that Akechi’s willingly showing to him, and it feels special.

 

“You gonna come in, or what?” Akechi asks, and Ryuji snaps his head up to see an easy-going smirk on his face. He’s going to give himself whiplash if he keeps moving so jerkily, he realizes, and he shuffles sheepishly. Akechi’s eyes track the movement, and he steps back into the kitchen to allow Ryuji inside.

 

Ryuji toes off his shoes and shuts the door with an, “Excuse me for intruding,” and he inhales the savory smells of eggs and bacon cooking. Akechi’s got a spatula in his hand, poking at the eggs to test how they’re coming along. He nods towards the counter before he begins flipping them over, “We’ll eat there, since I don’t have a table. Go ahead and have a seat.”

 

Ryuji does so, watching Akechi skillfully handle the waffle maker as if he’s always had it. Sitting at the counter like this, he feels like he’s pretty much at the diner while Akechi’s bustling about,  _ working _ . In a fit of uneasiness, he asks, “Can I help out with anything?”

 

Akechi shakes his head with a smile, “It’s almost ready. I’ve made the waffles already, so I just need to get these onto plates.”

 

“Oh, okay,” Ryuji responds, twiddling his thumbs idly. “I coulda helped, you didn’t have to do this all on your own.”

 

He shrugs, and flips the waffle maker off once the food has been set aside onto nearby plates. He hesitates, then admits, “I may have been a little eager to try it out. It’s a very nice device.”

 

A slow grin encompasses Ryuji’s face, “I’m glad you like it.”

 

Akechi huffs, avoiding eye contact by divvying the food up and setting a plate in front of Ryuji. He picks the other one up and moves about the counter, sitting beside him. He holds his fork delicately, hovering over the waffle first, “Let’s dig in.”

 

“Thank you for the food,” Ryuji nods, cutting into the eggs and grinning when the yolk spills out. It’s like food pornography, he thinks, and his mouth waters. After taking a bite, he groans aloud and nudges Akechi’s shoulder, “You’re too damn good at this.”

 

Akechi chews silently with a shake of his head, reserved. He swallows, then humbly responds, “I just do what kitchen taught me to do.”

 

“I can follow a recipe  _ exactly _ and I still end up burning shit,” Ryuji insists. “You got a gift, dude.”

 

He sighs, relenting, “Then I am eager to share it with others.”

 

Ryuji shrugs, “As long as you do it for yourself, too. Especially with food, eating’s important.”

 

Akechi looks at him thoughtfully. “I suppose I can try out new recipes, perfect them before I make them for others.”

 

“Yeah, use yourself as a guinea pig. I dunno, experiment, try crazy things, have fun with it,” Ryuji holds off on his eggs for the time being, picking up a piece of bacon. “I think you really like cooking, so embrace it. Make a fun hobby out of it.” The bacon is perfectly crispy, and he feels like his eyes are going to roll to the back of his head out of bliss. “And you know, if you need another guinea pig, I’m always willing…”

 

“Ah, I see,” Akechi teases, “You’re doing this for your own benefit, it all makes sense now.”

 

“Hey, I can have both of our best interests at heart simultaneously,” Ryuji argues with a joking smirk.

 

“Try this,” Akechi leans over and adds maple syrup to Ryuji’s waffle, then moves the bottle so it lands on his eggs as well. He sets the bottle down with a smug look as Ryuji’s eyes bug out staring at his eggs.

 

“No way…” Ryuji mutters, taking a bite of the eggs. The sweetness mixes in with the egg whites, and Ryuji slaps Akechi’s arm due to how good it tastes. “DUDE.”

 

Akechi nods in triumph, “I knew that would satisfy your sweet tooth.”

 

“We got that in common,” Ryuji points out with a chuckle when Akechi reaches over for another waffle.” He ventures a bite of his own and can’t help but shout, “Is there cinnamon in this?! You’re a genius!”

 

Akechi’s head tilts up proudly, “Thank you, thank you.”

 

Ryuji focuses his energy on inhaling his food, and before long, they’re both getting up to clean the dishes in the kitchen. They follow the same routine as last time, with Ryuji washing and Akechi rinsing and drying. In idle conversation Akechi asks, “How did your exams go?”

 

Ryuji grins, “B’s pretty much across the board. But I did get an A in anatomy.”

 

“Oh, that’s fantastic!” he smiles widely back at him.

 

With a chuckle, Ryuji continues, “Yeah, you really helped me a lot there, letting me demonstrate physically. All I had to do was remember that, and it was easy. So uh, thanks for your help,  _ Goro-kun _ .”

 

He meant it to be a joke. He wanted the keep up the light mood, but as soon as the given name left his mouth, he felt his face flush with embarrassment. He doesn’t even let the moment linger before he mutters, “I’m sorry.”

 

He can’t bring himself to look at Akechi, but he hears his surprised chuckle, “What was that just now?”

 

Ryuji sighs, “I dunno, I was trying to be funny and cool. Aomine makes it look so easy, but that’s cause he’s Aomine and he’s like eight feet tall or whatever, so like. I dunno why I thought it was a good idea, it just slipped out. Sorry.”

 

Akechi flicks some soap water up at Ryuji, causing him to gawk and jerk away. They’re making eye contact now, and Ryuji forces himself to hold it, because Akechi’s face looks fond and not the least bit upset. Satisfied that he has his attention, Akechi says, “Don’t worry about it so much, Ryuji-kun.”

 

Ryuji feels like he might combust. All this time, he’s been worried about Akechi’s honesty and what he truly thinks of them spending time together, and here he’s been given the most obvious sign that Akechi  _ does  _ like spending time with him. He feels light with triumph, like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, like his hard work has amounted to something, like his efforts aren’t wasted.

 

“Cool. Okay, cool. Thanks, Goro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the waffle maker Ryuji bought Goro :> https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-Reversible-Stainless-G48TD/dp/B000063XH7/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1537510048&sr=8-19&keywords=waffle+maker
> 
> I for one, am happy that our boys are on a first name basis, because I'm so used to calling Goro "Goro" instead of "Akechi" LOL
> 
> I'm on twitter at @cookietosser if you want updates on how writing is going, or just general ryugoro tweets!!!!
> 
> Next chapter: July, RYUJI'S birthday month! He pays Shibuya a visit, sees some familiar faces. With some suggestions from his mother, maybe he brings someone with him...


	4. July (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Going home can be a good thing, we can make it a good thing. But yeah, I also get it’s a crazy idea, and it’s got the potential to be a disaster,” Ryuji chuckles nervously.
> 
> Goro echoes the sentiment, “For many reasons.”
> 
> Ryuji stays adamant, “But I don’t think we should let that hold us back.” Us, we’re in this together. He wants that made perfectly clear, and he thinks he succeeds in the way Goro’s eyes widen. “We won’t know if it’ll be a good thing until we try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii thanks so much for patiently waiting!!! This chapter became such a big beast, we ultimately decided to split it in two. Please look forward to the second part coming soon!!
> 
> (I missed Goro's birthday wah wahhh)
> 
> Thank you to @literarytonguetied for their amazing beta work once again! I couldn't do this without you

Shujin Academy’s roof used to be Ryuji’s place to escape. His little hideaway, his own little secret. When his teachers made him feel too dumb to be in class, and the whispers from his classmates were too incriminating to hang out in the hallways, the roof was safe. People actually seemed impressed his bum leg could get him high enough,  _ fucking dicks _ .

It's how he met Haru, if you can call gawking at a pretty girl across the roof while she is clearly occupied with her plants meeting someone. He never said anything to her, didn't want to intrude, so he always kept to one side while she stayed on the other, never seeming to be bothered by him. The first time he actually approached her was shortly after she joined the team. They had all come up to help her out before, and he played along to their shock at discovering she was the source of the secret garden. He just had no idea how she was able to make all these things grow out of the ground the way she did, and he was immensely curious.

“Hey, senpai,” Ryuji greeted.  He glanced around her, saw her gardening tools and bags of soil. “Workin’ with your plants?”

“Oh, yes,” she answered, looking at the pots behind her. “But I can finish up if you would like to be alone.”

Ryuji shook his head, “You don’t gotta do that, you were here first.” Haru shuffled in place, like she was still unsure. “I was just gonna dick around for a while, and I can do that anywhere, so-”

“No, please wait-” Haru interrupted. She then blushed, bashful, “I would actually appreciate the company. If you wouldn’t mind, that is.”

“Oh, sure,” Ryuji grinned. “Win-win for both of us.”

Haru nodded with a grateful smile and watched Ryuji sit on top of a nearby desk before she went back to her business. Ryuji spent a few quiet minutes observing her, focusing on her delicate hands packing soil into a flower bed and burying seeds inside it. She worked diligently, attention entirely dedicated to caring for her plants.

He eventually voiced his curiosity, “What are you growing?”

She finished packing one last seed before sitting back and turning to Ryuji, “It will take a bit of time, but these will eventually blossom into yellow roses. Incredible, wouldn’t you agree?” She adds something chunkier than the soil the seeds are buried into.

“What’s that?”

“An additive roses specifically require. Without it, they won’t grow properly. Nothing a little more time and attention won’t take care of,” she explained, smile gentle.

“So it’s more complicated than your typical plant,” Ryuji responded thoughtfully, peering at the soil.

“It is complex,” Haru agreed. “Each plant needs different things, and away from a natural environment, it’s our job to provide the right things for each of them. I think they’re like people in that way.”

Haru looked fondly around her, her face more open than Ryuji had ever seen her with the others. Ryuji raised his eyebrows at her with a cheeky grin and she blushed, “It’s strange to think like that, isn’t it?”

“Maybe,” Ryuji teased, “But it makes sense. You put a lot of work into these little guys. They’re really special to you, huh?”

“They are.” Haru then hesitated, still so shy. “Before meeting all of you, they were my only friends. I’ve spent quite a bit of time up here with them.”

Ryuji frowned, “Senpai…”

She gave him a bright smile, “Please, Ryuji-kun, call me Haru. I am hoping that I can help these roses blossom beautifully, as I planned to give one to each of you.” Ryuji tilted his head in inquisition, and she elaborated, “As thanks for allowing me to join your group.”

Ryuji shifted to face Haru, making eye contact with her, “Haru. It’s  _ our _ group now. You’re one of us.”

She blinked owlishly at him and his proclamation. She recovered with a barely reserved grin, “My apologies, Ryuji-kun, you’re right. This is something I want to do. For my friends.”

Ryuji watched her for a moment with a serious expression, “I mean it.”

She relaxed and her smile loosened, “I know. Thank you.”

“I’ll keep telling you ‘til you believe it. Just so you know,” Ryuji sat back, turning to the seeds in the flower bed. He tried to picture yellow roses taking their place, and his face crumpled.

“Hey, Haru.” She perked up, ready for his request. “Can you help me grow something? I’m more of a doer than a listener, ya know?”

“Oh, of course! Let’s see,” Haru grabbed a small box nearby her and placed it in between them. Ryuji peered inside and saw a pile of flower seed packets, each of them having pictures of what they were supposed to grow into. “Is there someone you would like to give flowers to? We can pick something based on their personality, or what they mean to you.”

“Uhh…” Ryuji massaged the back of his neck, “You’re already growing flowers for everyone, There’s not really-” A realization hit him, “Oh, duh. My mom.”

Haru’s smile widened, eyes bright, “I have just the thing.” She picked up a packet and handed it to him, “That’s an orchid seed. I think it’d be the perfect gift for your mother.”

Ryuji shrugged, “Works for me. Show me your ways, Noir.”

 

* * *

 

Breakfast at Goro’s house becomes a recurring event. The stairs are hell on Ryuji’s legs, and Goro would insist every time that he can make breakfast at the dorm, but Ryuji would brush off all suggestions, determined that they keep things as they are.

“Yeah, it hurts, but physical therapy hurts! You can’t  _ not _ use your muscles, that just makes them worse off in the end. You gotta work through the pain to make it better,” he admitted, the first time they talked about it. He watched Goro moving about his kitchen from the door frame, since Goro refused to ever let him help cook in the apartment.  _ It’s too small, _ he’d tell Ryuji.

Goro glared, and it made Ryuji feel touched in the most confusing way. “It wouldn’t kill you to sit down and relax,” he argued through gritted teeth.

Ryuji gave him a nervous laugh and immediately went to sit at the counter to assuage him, “Here. I’m sitting. I’m sat.” It got Goro to roll his eyes but he stopped harping, pulling out his waffle iron to plug it in. “I don’t mind coming here all the time, man,” Ryuji continued. “It’s quieter than the dorm.”

“There’s just not really anywhere to sit,” he said, fussing about. “Feel free to relax on my bed, I suppose, although it hasn’t been made.”

“Dude,” Ryuji scoffed, “I don’t think I’ve made my bed since I was like. Eight. And that’s probably ‘cause my mom actually did it for me.” He blinked, “Is there an issue?”

Goro pursed his lips, as if mulling over his response. He hummed, “I suppose not?”

“It’s just me,” Ryuji said. “It’s just us.”

A smile crept up on Goro’s face, and he looked a little more at ease, “Right.”

Goro still comes by the dorm from time to time in order to make dinner, but he no longer refuses help, nor is he shy to ask for it. Everyone takes turns pitching in, and Goro commands the space easily.

Ryuji would like to say he learns a thing or two about cooking, but his attention tends to go astray, marvelling at how the mood is so much lighter around their group as of late. The test anxiety is gone, they have more free time that they choose to spend with each other, and it finally feels like they’re growing closer.

It doesn’t feel like the rush of adrenaline, electric excitement shooting down his arms and tingling in his fingers like it did with the Phantom Thieves. It doesn’t feel like the exhaustive satisfaction of hard work burning in his lungs like it did with his track team. It feels airy, bright and tranquil like watching clouds pass by overhead. Slow, requiring patience to get the gratification, but a sigh of relief nonetheless.

Their most recent breakfast at Goro’s has him watching Goro trying his hand at making omurice, twisting his wrist this way and that to get his frying pan moving as he needs it to. Ryuji presses his elbows into the counter over on the other side, laughing at Goro’s tensed shoulders.

“Shut up,” Goro grumbles as he jerks about in aborted motions. “I don’t want to screw this up.”

“If you do, it’d be fancy scrambled eggs,” Ryuji reassures him with a chuckle.

“We’re having omurice,” Goro insists with a stern glare and Ryuji puts his hands up placatingly. “Get the ketchup out,” Goro commands.

Ryuji moves around the counter to do so, and opens the fridge to glance over Goro’s stock. He can’t say for sure how Goro’s fridge looked before they started being friends, but based on everything else, he doesn’t feel off-based thinking it might have once been astonishingly empty.

He’s seen the same things in Yusuke before. It’s either the unwavering focus that results in forgetting to eat, or the lack of funds and motivation outweighing the hunger. Ryuji’s about to turn around and give Goro hell like he would Yusuke, but he bites his tongue with a thoughtful grunt. Goro’s already admitted to lying about eating before, and he’s proven to be not particularly enthusiastic about talking out his personal problems.

Ryuji grabs the ketchup, deciding to brainstorm other ways to approach such a heavy-handed subject, when there’s a loud bang and a splatter behind him. He turns around sharply and the fridge closes with a soft clunk. Goro stands before him, stunned, and holding a dismembered handle- the handle of the frying pan he was just holding. Where’d the rest of it go?

Ryuji follows Goro’s line of sight and finds the pan turned over on the ground and the omurice he had been trying to flip scattered across the floor, its insides spilling out.

“Oh no,” Ryuji mutters with wide eyes. His head slowly turns back to Goro, who has yet to move.

Goro swallows audibly and sets the handle gently on the counter, careful not to make another sound. He straightens up, a picture of perfect poise, and says, “So. Would you like to go to the diner for breakfast today?”

Ryuji chews on his bottom lip to keep himself from grinning, “Sounds good, buddy.”

Auntie’s there as always when they walk through the diner’s doors, and she acknowledges them with a tired nod and a smile. Ryuji follows Goro as he walks up to her, watching him lean over and look at her notes for seating arrangements. She allows it, and Goro points at a spot.

“May we sit there?” He asks her.

She waves a hand to address the tables, making a point at how almost all of them are empty, “Knock yourselves out.”

Goro thanks her with a polite bow of his head and walks over. Once they’re seated, Ryuji opens up the menu and reads over the breakfast items. He’ll avoid omurice out of courtesy… pancakes as well…

“What’re you getting?” He asks Goro.

Goro looks as undecided as he feels, “Crepes, maybe? I always get crepes, but…”

“Can’t go wrong with crepes,” Ryuji agrees.

“Crepes?” Auntie chimes in, stepping up to take their order. “Let me guess. Chocolate banana for  _ you _ ,” she points at Goro, who nods gratefully. “And what about you, sweetie?”

“Can I do the raspberry cream cheese one, but with like, not raspberry?” Ryuji asks, hesitancy making his shoulders creep up to his ears.

Auntie laughs, “How do strawberries sound?” He nods vigorously and she steps away to let kitchen know.

“I should make French toast next time,” Goro says off-handedly once she has departed. “Are you free next Saturday?”

“Oh,” Ryuji blinks, and he sets the menu down as he remembers: his birthday is next week. “I’m not, actually.”

Goro echoes, “Oh,” he frowns, looking a bit upset. The expression quickly passes, replaced with a look of realization. “Of course, you’re on break from school. It’s to be expected that you would have plans.”

Ryuji feels the need to downplay things when he clarifies, “I’m just going home to see my mom.”

Goro gives him a supportive smile, “She’ll be thrilled, I’m sure.”

“Yeah, she’s excited. She’s got some big dinner planned I think, ‘cause she kept askin’ me what kind of food I wanted her to make.” Ryuji’s face feels warm, and he scratches at the back of his head.

“Does she enjoy cooking?” Goro asks. Ryuji nods, and Goro’s smile turns soft, “They always say there’s nothing like a mother’s cooking. But to be truthful, it’d be disingenuous to say so myself.”

It’s quiet for a moment as Ryuji watches Goro’s face as he gathers composure away from a surprising but quiet vulnerability. Ryuji catches a glimpse of a deep-seated loneliness that may be beyond repair, but it’s not going to stop Ryuji from trying.

“Come with me,” he says. A grin creeps up on Ryuji’s face with the epiphany he’s just come across.

Goro stares at him, “What?”

“Come with me,” Ryuji insists. He sees Goro’s shoulders climb up, posture tight with apprehension, and he amends, “My mom was trying to get me to bring someone along anyway, saying it wouldn’t be much of a birthday celebration if I just had her, and you’re the only-”

“It’s your  _ birthday _ ?” Goro interrupts.

Ryuji waves off the question, “Yeah, it’s next week, so my mom thinks I should bring a friend along to celebrate with, and you’re the only one I’d really want to-”

“Why would your mom want you to  _ bring _ somebody?” Goro sounds incredulous. “There has to be someone in Shibuya, right? One of…” He trails off with an awkward pause, and Ryuji shrugs.

Most of them aren’t even in Shibuya anymore. Makoto and Haru are going to school in Shinjuku, Yusuke’s on his study abroad, and Ren’s an hour away at least. Why would Ryuji try in vain to get the gang back together just for him? There’d be other opportunities later in the year.

“They’re busy with their finals. Iwatodai’s a little ahead of the school schedule. I don’t wanna bug them.”

It’s as if that flips a switch in Goro, whose frown deepens, “It’s your  _ birthday _ . They can’t make time to see you?”

“It’s not that they can’t,” Ryuji protests, fumbling over his words. “We’ll do something later, probably, but it’s not a good time now.” He huffs, “ _ So _ , to get back to my  _ point.  _ My mom thinks it’d be great if I brought one of my ‘college friends’ over to hang out with. While she’s like, working and stuff. And- let me finish- you’re the only one I’d really wanna bring back home with me, so…”

He trails off now that the words are out there. Goro’s defensiveness fades, seeming at a loss for words, and he stares across the table. It’s the look he had that rainy night outside his apartment, right before he declared a willingness to open up and the sky cracked with lightning. The careful scrutiny strikes at Ryuji just as powerfully, and he adds, “If you’re not at all interested, that’s totally understandable. Like, completely. But, yeah. I’d love to have you there, ya know?”

“Are you asking sincerely?” Goro blurts.

Ryuji sputters, “Wuh- of course I am?”

Goro slumps back, like strings have become loose. But Ryuji doesn’t get any more relaxed as Goro crosses his arms with a disgruntled expression, “I don’t. Fully understand why.”

“Why what?”

“Why  _ me _ .”

Ryuji balks trying to work out a response when Auntie steps forward and places their plates in front of them expertly. She puts her hands on her hips, “I couldn’t help but overhear. What’s this about you taking my employee away?”

Ryuji squawks, shaking his head vehemently, “No, no, we were just talking in theory. Nothing’s been decided.”

He looks at Goro to prompt him for assistance, but he and Auntie are looking at each other with piercing gazes, as if they’re silently communicating. Ryuji stares at his crepe to give them some semblance of privacy, but Auntie turns her attention back to him.

“When are you going?” She asks flatly, and the lack of any obvious emotion scares Ryuji more than any amount of disdain would.

He gulps, “Uh, the first week of July.” He turns to Goro after saying it, and it hits him just how unreasonable his request was. He really asked Goro to take a whole week off to come home with him, to the place where so much that they’re trying to move past from lies. His face reddens, but he keeps his eyes sternly on Goro’s, trying to make it as apparent as he can that  _ it’s okay _ for Goro to say no.

But Auntie keeps interjecting, seemingly with her own agenda, and ignoring Ryuji’s fruitless attempts at subliminal messaging. “My, what a coincidence,” she smiles, and her voice sounds jovial but her gaze narrows on Goro, who avoids it pointedly. Her giggling turns sinister and Ryuji fears the terrible reprimanding that’s about to descend upon them. He braces himself, giving Goro an apologetic grimace. Auntie continues, “Himura-kun has that week off.”

Their heads shoot in her direction as they give her identical looks of complete shock. She throws her head back in laughter, clutching her stomach.“Yes, yes, I’m afraid so. You see, with the school district being on break, my younger employees are clamoring for more hours. In order to make everyone happy, sacrifices must be made.” She puts a hand on Goro’s shoulder in a display of comfort, “Himura-kun is still one of the newest, so he was further down the list. There just aren’t enough hours to go around.”

Goro frowns at her, “That’s terrible to hear. I don’t think my landlord will be too pleased if I cannot give him what he is owed at the end of the month.”

Ryuji remembers him, that dickhead. He scowls instinctually, but Auntie seems unbothered. “You leave him to me. You know he can’t resist my feminine charm.”

“If necessary, I can pick up shifts upon my return,” Goro bargains.

She takes a step back, her victorious grin unwavering, “We’ll see. Let me know if you’ll be having anything else.”

Ryuji watches her disappear into the back before he asks under his breath, “What was that all about?”

Goro places his hands together in thanks briefly before he grabs his fork, cutting away a large bite of his chocolate banana crepe. “The thing with the landlord? They know each other. It’s how I came upon the apartment complex in the first place.”

“Oh,” Ryuji responds blankly. He looks at his own crepe, stuffed with berries and topped with whipped cream, and he picks up his own fork. It hits him that Auntie really did say that she’d use  _ feminine charm _ against  _ that dickhead _ and he shudders. “Oh.”

Goro chuckles, but doesn’t respond due to a full mouth. Ryuji decides he needs to stuff his face before he thinks any further on that particular image.

He gets halfway through his crepe, the sweetness of the whipped cream sticking to his teeth when he gets the gall to speak up. “You really don’t have to go. I was planning on going by myself, and I’m totally okay with that. I’m sorry I got Auntie involved too.”

“Don’t apologize, idiot,” Goro puts his fork down delicately, and he keeps his head down, angled in such a way that it doesn’t appear to be dismissive. He doesn’t think that Goro always says the right thing necessarily, but he does say the one thing that will get the most out of whatever reaction he wants to evoke. That requires time, careful picking and choosing, and it used to piss Ryuji off before he realized what he was doing. Now it just leaves him anxious as he attempts to wait patiently for the response to come, frustrated that he can’t plan ahead when everyone else seems able to.

“Clearly, Auntie doesn’t mind,” Goro finally continues, the corner of his mouth tilted up. He’s playing up amusement, but Ryuji’s eyes zero in on his knitted brows and the cracking of his knuckles as his fingers dig at them. Ryuji wonders if he would’ve bought into the act three months ago. “And she’s quite serious about the lack of hours available for all of her workers, so it appears that I’ll be having that week off whether I accompany you or not.” His head tilts, flippant, “Maybe I should take up your offer and make good use of my time.”

Ryuji shuffles uneasily. He wants this to happen and he’ll attempt to convince Goro in order to sway him, but he still doesn’t want to push him into anything. The bottom line is that Ryuji wants Goro to want to go. “My mom makes killer takoyaki. And we can hit up that big antique book store if you want? There’s also the planetarium, the museum-”

Goro’s laugh is somehow both sharp and light, “You really know how to treat someone special, hmm?”

Ryuji’s face reddens. He didn’t mean to be suggestive and he backpedals, “I’m just thinking out loud. It really doesn’t matter what we do, Shibuya’s Shibuya. I could literally spend every day at the arcade and be happy, so…”

“I find it hard to believe that you could spend a week with anyone in one place for so long and stay sane.” Goro murmurs, fingers twiddling in front of him and resuming his deep thinking. His eyes are trained on his hands and Ryuji finds himself similarly mesmerized. “You might come to regret your request.”

Ryuji bites back a rebuttal, swallows, and chews on it. He makes himself refine it with his teeth, because Goro constantly considers each word to its perfection, and he wants to give back that same level of respect. Ryuji’s not dismissing Goro’s past hardships by inviting him back to Shibuya, he’s completely aware of why Goro would have his reservations. And it  _ might  _ do more harm than good to go back, to pick at those old scabs that haven’t healed yet.

Might. 

Ann told him about the day Shiho came back to Shujin after being released from the hospital. How she stood on the rooftop, breathing in the air and feeling the trauma releasing its grip with her exhale. It didn’t let her go completely, but it was a first step that might otherwise be too daunting to ever take.

Maybe going back, making new memories is exactly what they both need. With each step Ryuji takes, the further he gets from his bad break. And every day he spends with Goro helps ease the pain of past misunderstandings.

“Going home can be a good thing, we can  _ make _ it a good thing. But yeah, I also get it’s a crazy fuckin’ idea, and it’s got the potential to be a disaster,” Ryuji chuckles nervously.

Goro echoes the sentiment, “For many reasons.”

Ryuji stays adamant, “But I don’t think we should let that hold us back.”  _ Us, we’re in this together.  _ He wants that made perfectly clear, and he thinks he succeeds in the way Goro’s eyes widen. “We won’t know if it’ll be a good thing until we try.”

Goro, still hesitating, asks, “And if it isn’t?” The delivery is stilted, like he’s trying to keep his true feelings out of it and failing. Ryuji thinks he’s wearing him down.

He shrugs, nonchalant, “Then Iwatodai is only twenty minutes away.”

Goro pulls his hands apart and taps them on the table, a quick and nervous beat. Ryuji taps his thumbs in return. Their paces match, and Ryuji orchestrates them slower and slower, until they both stop. Goro drops his hands with a laugh, taken aback, and Ryuji grins.

“I think we should go for it,” Ryuji declares, sitting back in his chair and tilting his chin up.

Goro leans back as well, but his eyes are calculating, assessing. Ryuji’s laid his offer down, now it’s up to Goro to take it.

His lips part to speak, and Ryuji watches them with a lingering feeling of hope. Goro’s mouth forms into a crooked smile, lacking confidence, but not sincerity.

“Okay.”

Ryuji finalizes the plans with his mom, who is immensely excited about meeting a new friend of his. She vows to pull out all the stops, “I’ll get the extra futon out and lay it in your room.” He grunts to indicate he’s listening as he moves about his room, making sure he’s got everything he needs packed away. “Should we do takoyaki for dinner tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me,” he agrees. “I’ve already told him that you make the best ones.”

“Aww, sweetheart, you’re too kind,” she coos. “What have you decided on for your birthday dinner?”

“Wanna do that one revolving sushi place?”  _ Fuck, his toothbrush _ . He grabs it from the sink and chucks it in the direction of his backpack.

His mother hums in his ear, “We’ll do sushi. But we’ll go to that place in Ginza that Sakura-san always mentions.”

“Ma,” he stops where he stands, “you don’t gotta do that. We’re not fancy businessmen, revolving sushi is good enough.”

“Not good enough for my boy on his birthday,” she insists, and he can picture her cheeks puffing up. He knows he won’t win, and he sighs. She hears it and giggles, “Oh, I’m so looking forward to this, Ryuji. I’ve missed you so much, and I’m excited to meet your friend, too.”

“Yeah, about that,” Ryuji grimaces, rubbing the back of his head, “you know how Yusuke’s family life is?”

“Ah. Say no more,” she responds, and he exhales with relief. “You’re such a good man.”

He frowns with a blush, and he begins moving once more to try and find a clean pair of underwear somewhere in the mess of his room, “What d’ya mean?”

“You don’t judge anybody for anything. You should hear the way the girls at work talk about people sometimes, it’s just so,” she sighs, and it’s heavy, “hurtful. I’m just really glad you’re not like that, honey.”

“Well, I had the best mother in the world to raise me, so,” he scoffs, and he sits on his bed. “It’s not that hard to just. Stay out of people’s business. If it doesn’t affect you, why the hell do you get to judge?”

“I agree, honey. And you know I love you no matter what, right?”

“Of course, ma. I love you too,” he smiles, bids his mom goodnight and they hang up. He looks around his room, ignoring that it looks like a cannonball crashed through it. He has his suitcase by the door and his backpack by his bed, and he finds his toothbrush lying beside it. “Oh, my god,  _ dumbass _ ,” he mutters, snatching it up and stalking to the sink to put it back where it belongs. He’ll remember to throw that and his phone charger in his backpack in the morning, he hopes. And if not, there’s bound to be extras in his mom’s hall closet.

He surveys the room one last time, mentally recalling everything he’s packed away in preparation and trying to remember if there’s  _ anything _ he forgot. A yawn interrupts his thoughts, and he decides to turn in. He can look at his room with fresh eyes in the morning and triple check everything. He plugs his phone in to charge and collapses into his pillows.

 

* * *

  
He awakens in a daze, skin feeling tight, as hot and heavy as any other summer night. Ryuji squirms a bit, trying to find a comfier position.

He's fucking hard.

"Ugh," he groans, voice raspy with sleep, and he reaches a hand down his shorts. He was dreaming. It's all hazy now, slipping away the more he awakens but he was definitely dreaming about a person. He palms himself, chasing the barely coherent memory. He was holding somebody, feeling their body against his with a burning pressure.

He remembers knuckles cracking, thin hand and sharp eyes and so much pressure. He squeezes himself, trying to remember, already so close. His eyes open wide and he comes with a sharp inhale.

He lays still, breathing deep. Better to get it out now before he's got to sleep in the same roof as his mother, and  _ god _ the same room as Goro, too. With his eyes shut, he nearly falls back asleep, but the mess in his hand demands that he get up. He stumbles his way through the darkness to get to his sink with his hand cupped to wash away the mess. He gives a large involuntary yawn and blinks the bleariness away, then dries his hands off. He collapses back on the bed facedown, limbs feeling like jelly and a sated slumber dragging him back under.

 

* * *

 

 

Goro beats him to the train station. Ryuji rolls up to where he stands, playing on his phone idly. He’s got his backpack on, and it looks fuller than usual, but there’s no sign of any other luggage.

“Is that all you’re bringing?” Ryuji asks, and Goro finally looks up.

The bags under his eyes are a bit more pronounced this early morning, and Ryuji imagines he doesn’t look any more enthused. Ryuji yawns, and Goro ends up following suit, “You should remember that I don’t have many material possessions.”

Ryuji almost apologizes, but he clamps his mouth shut. He doesn’t think it’d go over well, and it wouldn’t serve any good purpose. He shrugs, “We’ve got a laundry machine you can use.”

Goro nods mutely and glances back at his phone, “I have the information for our train here. We have about ten minutes until it arrives.”

“Sweet. I hope you weren’t waiting long,” Ryuji says.

Goro waves it off and begins walking in the direction of their stop, “I didn’t, but I wanted to be sure we had everything right.”

Ryuji tugs his suitcase along and follows Goro, “I appreciate that, man. You sleep okay last night?”

Goro makes a noncommittal noise. “Did you?”

“Uh. Yeah. Yeah, I slept okay,” he answers, distracted.

Goro’s voice sounds suspicious, “You sure you did?”

“Mhmm,” Ryuji responds, still looking away. They reach a bench in front of their stop and they sit down, thankful for the early hour that there’s hardly anyone else around. Ryuji’s leg immediately starts bouncing.

“What is the plan for that exactly?” Goro asks as he positions his backpack in his lap.

Ryuji slouches on the bench as if to lay himself down as much as possible, “For what? Dinner?”

“Sleeping,” Goro clarifies. “Are there any hotels nearby that I could look into?”

Ryuji turns to him in disbelief, “What- no, dude, you’re staying with us. My mom got the extra futon out and everything.”

“Oh, I couldn’t impose-”

“You’re not. This was the plan from the beginning, so you don’t gotta worry about that.” Ryuji watches Goro huff up with a protest, but the fight deflates quickly. Ryuji mutters, “Can’t believe you were gonna try and stay at a hotel,  _ weirdo _ . You know how pissed my mom woulda been?”

Goro shuffles, “I didn’t intend to offend.”

“Well, I’ll tell you now, ma's gonna offer you hospitality and you’re gonna take it whether you like it or not.”

Goro laughs, sounding nervous, “I am downright terrified of how this is going to play out.”

“I hope you’re joking,” Ryuji responds, trying to ease up on his tone. “My mom is-” he hesitates, choosing his words carefully, “a lot more relaxed compared to me. I don’t think you have anything to be worried about.”

Goro’s smile is soft, his voice is teasing, “Now that leaves me to wonder where you got your boisterous personality from. Your father?”

Ryuji’s leg freezes. Stone-faced, he angles his head to the train tracks ahead of them, “No.” Goro doesn’t say anything more, and Ryuji hopes that he understands, so they can just leave it at that. He’s bothered by the silence but lets it settle over them like tar.

Their train pulls up and they stand to step inside and sit down. Ryuji leans back and lets his head rest against the window while Goro pulls out his phone to entertain himself. It won’t be a long ride, only twenty minutes or so, but Ryuji’s thankful they chose to go early enough to avoid the crowds.

A group of younger kids piles into the cart a couple stops later and has him stirring. Goro’s still browsing on his phone and Ryuji contemplates drifting off but he doesn’t want to risk one of them not paying attention and missing their stop. He sits up a little straighter and Goro glances his way then back to his phone.

After a beat, Goro asks, “When is your birthday? What exact day?”

“Tomorrow,” Ryuji answers, stretching out his limbs while being mindful of other passengers.

Goro nods, keeping his gaze on his phone. Ryuji kind of wants to slap the back of his hand to see what would happen.

“What’re you looking at?” He asks instead.

“Shopping. I still need a new frying pan,” Goro answers.

“You didn’t want to wait for me to buy you one for Christmas?” Ryuji teases.

The corner of Goro’s mouth pulls up. Ryuji tries to peak at what Goro’s looking at but Goro clicks his phone off every time he so much as inches closer.

Ryuji pouts, “Keepin’ secrets?”

“Am I not entitled to my privacy?”

Ryuji puts his hands up and backs off. Goro turns back to his phone and his face looks more pinched, uneasy. In an attempt to assuage him, Ryuji pulls his phone out to go about his own business, allowing the noises around them to fill the space instead of a private conversation.

**Press F to Phantom Thieves (F is for Finals)**

**You: hey. im shibuya bound**

**Panther <3: YES**

**Noir: Oh your mom will be so pleased to see you!**

**You: yeah it’ll be great to spend time with her**

**Oracle: You comin to visit? You finally gonna play ovw like you keep saying you will?**

**You: uhhhh i wanna visit yeah so hopefully i’ll have time**

**Oracle: just play it. You’ll love it i promise.**

**Oracle: ren plays**

**You: isnt ren terrible at it**

**Joker: Hey. I’m getting better.**

**Oracle: he is terrible at it. WHICH MEANS YOU LITERALLY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE**

**You: cant shoot guns :\**

**Oracle: you dont have to! Be a tank. Protecc.**

**Joker: He protecc. But he also attacc.**

**You: we’ll see ok?**

**Oracle: Sure. That’s fine. I’m used to living with disappointment.**

**You: :(**

**Joker: If you do visit, say hi to them and hug them for me?**

**Oracle: Eugh, you’re coming home in like, two weeks.**

**Joker: :( Wanna be home nowwwww**

**You: Get through finals dude, you can do it**

**You: but ye, i’ll hug futaba and the boss for ya**

**Joker: Thanks babe <3**

**Panther <3: when are u coming over to visit me? :)**

**You: no?**

**Panther <3: :(**

**You: dude you gotta study im not screwing that up for you**

**Panther <3: Ann needs a breakkkkk**

**Panther <3: And chocolateeeee**

**You: ……..fine i’ll come by to bring you chocolate**

**You: Then that’s it! Im gone!**

**Panther <3: :(**

**Panther <3: Bring Koji and I’ll concede.**

**Oracle: WHAT**

**You: ugh**

**Noir: Oh Koji-kun is with you? :)**

**You: yeah. Uh. he needed a break too**

**You: and his boss gave him the week off so. Yeah he came with.**

**Noir: Has he ever been? Are you going to be his tour guide? :)**

**You: he has….but its been awhile**

**Oracle: So like. You’re on the train. And koji is just there.**

**You: ....**

**You: ya?**

**Oracle: WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE TALKING TO US**

**You: HE’S ON HIS PHONE**

**You: ALSO WE MADE IT TO OUR STOP**

**Oracle: SAY HI TO UR MOM FOR ME**

**Oracle: COME VISIT ME**

**Oracle: PLAY OVW WITH ME**

**Fox: Ah, are we getting a group formed?**

 

**Fox changed his nickname to It’s High Noon**

 

**Oracle: no :\**

**It’s High Noon: Why did you get my hopes up?**

**Oracle: sorry, cowboy**

 

* * *

 

 

They navigate their way through the station until they surface at the Square. There’s already a crowd forming around Hachiko as the city has awakened. Ryuji stands at the mouth of the station, taking in the all too familiar sights. Goro stands beside him, posture stiff and eyes cold. Ryuji tightens his grip on his bags and nods his head in the direction of home. They pass by the bookstore, the arcade, and the beef bowl place in succession and Ryuji’s heartbeat quickens.

His apartment complex comes into sight, plain and indiscernible with its old, tan paint job. He cuts through the parking lot directly to the elevators and presses the up button, turning back to Goro and waiting.

Goro looks around with mild interest, but still offers nothing to disturb the silence between them. 

The elevator dings and Ryuji grins, “This is what an operational elevator looks like.” They share a smile, and Ryuji presses the button to go to the fifth floor. His eyes glance at flyers pinned to the walls, detailing messages from management and advertisements to nearby restaurants. The ads look unchanged, and despite only being gone one semester, Ryuji doesn’t know why he expected completely new ones.

Everything is exactly the same as he left it.

When they reach their floor, they walk to the door at the end of the hall and Ryuji digs for his keys. When he finds the right one, Ryuji inserts the key into the lock. About to turn it, he freezes and turns back to Goro with a dawning horror.

“What?” Goro asks.

“I can’t introduce you to my mom. I can’t call you Goro,” he says, eyes wide.

Goro huffs, “Why? Was your mother a fan?”

“Uh,” Ryuji shrinks back, scratching the back of his head, “Kind of the opposite.” Ryuji hesitates, “I, uh, talked a lot of smack. Back in the day. Like. ‘Akechi this, Akechi that.’ Akechi sucks, blah blah blah…”

A blank neutrality washes over Goro, like a hard reset was activated, and a stone settles in Ryuji’s throat. “Ah,” Goro responds simply.

“Sorry,” Ryuji grimaces.

“I don’t see the need for an apology,” Goro rejects, his reassuring smile screaming,  _ I’m pleasant! _

“Well I do,” Ryuji insists, and he turns back to his front door, pressed for a solution. “Are you okay with Koji?” He asks.

“That is my name, if you’ll recall.”

Ryuji sighs in relief and turns the key.

The lock turns with an audible click. “I’m home,” he calls out, toeing off his shoes.

Goro follows him in and does the same. Ryuji gives him a poor attempt at a reassuring smile, tight-lipped and awkward. Goro takes a deep breath. From the other end of the apartment, Ryuji’s mom calls out, “Welcome home!”

Ryuji grins hearing her voice. She shuffles her way to the entrance in her pink slippers, arms outstretched for a hug. He catches her in an embrace, feeling her giddy laughter against his ribcage. She steps back and looks up at his face intensely, pure love in her eyes. He flushes and fidgets at the attention.

“It’s so good to see you, sweetie,” she says, and her voice gets weepy. “My little college student.”

“Ma,” he groans. Clearing his throat, he steps back and motions to Goro, “This is my friend, Himura Koji. Koji, meet ma.”

Goro bows deeply, and his smile is radiant. “Thank you so much for letting me into your home, and for taking care of me. It’s very lovely to meet you.”

Ryuji’s mother blushes, of course. Ryuji’s whole head lolls with the severity of his eye roll. “Oh my, you have such lovely manners,” she praises. “Any chance you’ve been teaching my boy?”

“Mom!” Ryuji protests.

“On the contrary, Sakamoto-san,” Goro interjects with a disarming smile, “Ryuji has been teaching  _ me _ how to be more honest with myself and others. I envy his easy-going personality and wish to learn more from him.”

Hilarious, all things considered. Ryuji pretends to gag and his mom slaps him on the arm.

“Still,” she says to Goro with a grin, “I think his blunt personality could use some refining.”

“If you say so,” Goro agrees with a laugh.

“Okay, okay, now that we’ve done the introductions, can I put my crap away?” Ryuji whines. His posture slouches, petulant.

His mom rolls her eyes but steps aside to let the boys walk further into the apartment, “The futons are all set out and ready for you.”

“Thanks, ma,” Ryuji takes his suitcase and rolling it in the direction of his room. Goro bows to his mother (and she  _ giggles _ ) before following Ryuji.

Before moving to the dorm, he and his mother cleared his room out so that she could use it freely. His posters and manga are still present, though, and he feels a bit bashful as Goro surveys the space. Goro probably thinks it’s juvenile.

“You play darts?” Goro asks, and Ryuji looks at his dart board, still in its same spot.

“Kinda,” he fidgets. “Don’t look too closely at the walls.”

Goro laughs and puts his backpack on one of the futons laid out on the floor to claim it.

 

* * *

 

As Ryuji’s mother makes dinner, the two of them sit in the living room watching TV idly. Ryuji scrolls through the channels until he finds some silly talk show and he puts the remote down. As they watch the hosts show off a new attraction at Destinyland, she comes out with the small takoyaki grill and places it between them. She mentions that the batter is ready, and goes back to the kitchen to fetch it.

Goro gives him a smirk as if something dawned on him, “Takoyaki, eh? Planning on poisoning me again?”

Ah, shit, that’s right. Ryuji stifles his laughter and manages to turn it into a cough, “No, no, I swear, Ma makes legit stuff. No tricks or nothing.”

Goro hums, teasingly suspicious, and Ryuji’s mom returns with a bowl of mixed batter. She’s about to sit down before she exclaims, “Oh, the octopus is still in the kitchen.”

Once everything is set out on the table, she takes a seat and exhales deeply, gesturing to the two of them, “Well, go on. Making them is half the fun!”

Ryuji gives a nervous laugh while Goro smiles easily, and they cook the takoyaki on the little burner between them while Ryuji’s mother is enraptured with the gossipy celebrity stories. Once the food has been finished and dished out onto plates, she snaps to attention and takes her phone out.

“Smile, boys!” She grins, and they smile indulgently when she points the camera at herself and takes a picture of the three of them. The angle is off and her eyes are looking in the wrong spot, but she loves the picture. “I’ll share this online later.”

“ _ No _ -” Ryuji says hastily, then cuts himself off. Her eyebrows furrow with concern, while Goro stays quiet and keeps himself perfectly still. “It’s- It’s embarrassing, ma, come on.”

She rolls her eyes, “God forbid the world finds out you love your mother.”

Ryuji gulps and can’t help his eyes shifting to and away from Goro. If his mom posts that picture, Ann will find it. Or Futaba. The PTs will find out and he can’t let that happen yet. It’s not the right time.

“But if you insist,” his mother continues, much to his surprise. “I’ll keep it to myself.” She winks at him and he breathes a huge sigh of relief. Even if she doesn’t understand why, she still respects his wishes and his heart swells.

“Alright, let’s eat!” She urges with a wide smile.

His mother directs her attention to Goro for the rest of the dinner. She keeps the conversation light, asking about Goro’s life at the diner.

“I worked at a diner briefly,” she explains. “I don’t want to go back to that point in my life, but it’s sort of nostalgic for me to talk about it.”

If Goro’s uneasy with the amount of attention he’s receiving, it doesn’t show. He indulges Ryuji’s mother by answering all of her questions and sharing stories about troublesome customers, and he only side-eyes Ryuji a couple of times. Ryuji stubbornly ignores both instances by shoving whole takoyaki in his mouth and staring at the TV, ignoring the burn on his tongue.

When they’ve finished eating, Goro compliments the cooking and insists on doing the dishes. “I have to earn my keep,” he says as he carries the dirty plates to the kitchen. Ryuji and his mom glance at each other, eyebrows raised, before she reaches over and slaps his arm. He rolls his eyes then gets up and follows Goro to help him.

Goro turns when he hears Ryuji walk into the kitchen and gives him a tight lipped smile before he continues scrubbing the plates clean. Well-versed in their routine by this point, Ryuji sidles next to him and turns the water on to rinse.

“You weren’t very subtle back there,” Goro reminds him once they’ve finished with the dishes.

“Nope, I wasn’t,” Ryuji shakes his head. “Look, I’m sorry, it’s just-”

“I appreciate your intentions,” Goro interrupts. “You know that I no longer wish to be seen by the- Well. By the Shibuya crowd. I would have gone about it a bit differently, but I understand that you’re not capable of subtlety,” he adds with a smirk, and Ryuji rolls his eyes.  _ There’s the thinly veiled insult. _

“Yeah, well, you didn’t want them to know then and I wanted to respect that.” Ryuji hesitates, weighing in if he wants to voice his next thought. “If that hasn’t changed, then I’d still want to respect that.”

“If that hasn’t changed?” Goro repeats. His eyebrows pinch together, “What are you implying?”

“Nothing! Nothing,” Ryuji answers hastily. Goro gives him a skeptical look, and he changes his course, “I just. Maybe things are different now?”

He waves his hand between them. Goro’s walls visibly climb up, and Ryuji’s heart sinks. He swallows thickly and holds his breath, waiting.  “Is that why you insisted on me coming with you? So you could have an ambush?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Is everything alright in there?” Ryuji’s mother calls out from the living room. Goro’s mouth clicks shut and he shuts down, arms crossed and shoulders tense. He turns his head away as if dismissing the conversation.

Ryuji calls back, “We’re fine, ma. Sorry.”

She doesn’t immediately answer, “I’ve drawn the bath if Koji-kun would like to go first.”

Ryuji sighs. “It’s the room to the right of mine,” he directs.

Goro keeps still, icy cold, before he breathes in deep and gives a stilted smile, “Thank you for allowing me to bathe first. I will be quick.”

Goro takes his leave, and Ryuji hears him give his mother a polite thanks before there’s more footsteps, then the sound of the bathroom door closing.

Ryuji collapses next to his mother in the living room, huffing in frustration. Seemingly unaware, she asks, “Want to invite Ann and Futaba-chan to dinner tomorrow?”

“No,” he immediately declines, “that’s okay.” She looks at him quizzically, but doesn’t press the issue. Still, he feels like she’s owed an explanation, “I have plans to see them, I wouldn’t come back and  _ not _ see them. Same if the others were in town too. But,” he trails off, and looks down the hallway at the closed bathroom door. “I guess I don’t want Koji to feel. Excluded?”

Her thumb strokes the back of his hand, “Is that what you two were talking about? Just remember that it might be hard for one person to approach a friend group that’s as tightly knit as yours.” She smiles, “But you’re all kind and welcoming, so I wouldn’t worry about them. Just give Koji-kun some time.”

“Sure,” Ryuji agrees.

"Do you remember the orchid you gave me?" She asks.

"Oh, yeah, where is it?" Ryuji's head turns, searching the surfaces of the room, but no luck. When he turns back to his mother, she has a look of embarrassment on her face. "Oh, no," Ryuji groans sympathetically. "It died?"

"It died," she affirmed. "I guess I can only handle succulents. But that's not why I brought that up. My point was that you got closer to Haru-chan by working on her garden with her, right?"

He nods, "Yeah. Yeah I guess I would say that."

"You embraced her interests. Most of your classmates saw her as the Okumura Foods hier, right? But by spending time with her like that, I think you made her feel seen."

He mulls over her words, and an idea starts to come to fruition. He nods at her, determined, "I think I get what you're saying. Thanks for the advice, ma."

 

* * *

 

After he’s done with his own bath, Ryuji steps quietly to his room in case Goro is already sleeping. The light is on, though, and Goro is lying in one of the futons while on his phone. 

He gives Ryuji a onceover with a judging look, “Are you not wearing pants?”

Ryuji looks down at himself. A clean pair of boxers and a comfy shirt. He doesn’t see the issue. “Yeah? It’s bedtime.”

Goro hums dismissively and turns back to his phone.

“Goro, are  _ you _ wearing pants?”

“That is the standard,” Goro murmurs.

“But it’s summer. It’s hot,” Ryuji reasons. He’s surprised that he needs to explain this. Ren never cared, and lack of clothing was definitely normal with the guys on the track team. Ryuji fidgets at the foot of his futon, “Can- Is it okay for me to not wear pants?”

“Oh my god,” Goro grumbles, turning over on his side, “just lie down.”

Ryuji does so with a relieved chuckle after he turns off the light and gets settled in. He lies on his back and turns his head to Goro, who’s facing away from him.

“So about tomorrow,” Ryuji starts, pausing to see if Goro’s going to turn around and face him. When it’s evident that he’s not going to, he continues, “We have dinner with my mom, but we’re free all day to do whatever we want. Do you have anything in mind?”

“It’s  _ your _ birthday,” Goro points out, talking to the wall, “shouldn’t we be doing what  _ you _ want to do?”

“Well, I want you to have a good time too.” Ryuji watched Goro take a deep breath, contemplative. “I brought you here so we could have fun together, after all.”

Goro eventually answers, “Tell me what you have in mind. I’ll approve or reject it.”

Ryuji purses his lips while mulling it over, “I dunno. If it was just me I’d probably go to Akiba and hit up the arcades. Iwatodai still has like. Nothing.”

“There’s the one at the mall,” Goro counterpoints.

“That place is so tiny it can only fit like two machines plus the crane game that’s outside,” Ryuji argues. “That place sucks.”

Goro moves to lie on his back, keeping his eyes on the ceiling with his hands folded on top of his chest. He’s stiff, like he’s uncomfortable, but Ryuji doesn’t have any more spare pillows he can grab. “You know, I’ve never been to Akihabara.”

“Really,” Ryuji deadpans, “I would never have guessed.”

Goro side eyes him, but his smirk is playful. “I was advised not to go. They said I would more than likely attract a crowd.”

Ryuji thinks about all the idol stores there, and the girls running to them just to buy little pictures of their celebrity crushes. He snorts, “Yeah, they were probably right. Too pretty and posh to be in a place like that.”

“Can I borrow some of your clothing tomorrow in order to blend in?” Goro jokes.

“You don’t need it. Nowadays you’re mean and your hair is too long, you’ll fit right in,” Ryuji rebukes.

“I like my carefree look,” Goro says. .

“You look homeless.”

“Oh, no, my clothes fit me much better now than when I was homeless.” Goro turns to Ryuji when he doesn’t respond, growing quiet in the face of too much realism, and he juts his chin out as if he’s proud with himself.

“Screw you, man, that’s not funny,” Ryuji grumbles.

Goro doesn’t laugh, “Sure it is.”

“Whatever, so you’re good with Akiba?” Ryuji clarifies.

“Works for me.”

 

* * *

 

**Takamaki Ann: Happy Birthday~~~ <3**

 

**You: thankss**

 

**Takamaki Ann: soooo……**

 

**You: what**

 

**Takamaki Ann: can you come see me today? :)**

 

**You: rly?**

**You: you want me to bring YOU chocolate. On MY bday?**

 

**Takamaki Ann: omggg you dont have to bring me chocolate…**

 

**You: wait for real?**

 

**Takamaki Ann: yes**

**Takamaki Ann: seeing you and koji-kun would be enough of a treat :)**

 

**You: ugh dont be weird**

**You: i still. Idk.**

**You: it’s WEIRD, ann.**

 

**Takamaki Ann: Huh??**

**Takamaki Ann: ohhh**

 

**You: hes shy ok and i already threw him to the sharks by having him come over to the dorm**

 

**Takamaki Ann: oh.**

 

**You: what**

 

**Takamaki Ann: i thought you were gonna say it was gonna be weird bc of you and me**

 

**You: ……**

 

**Takamaki Ann: and i was about to tell you it wouldnt matter cause its not like we were that serious**

 

**You: …also cause koji and i are not into each other.**

 

**Takamaki Ann: uh-huh. ok.**

**Takamaki Ann: but like. If hes just shy just dont make it a big deal. Cause its not.**

**Takamaki Ann: if you’re cool about it, he’ll be cool about it :)**

 

**You: Ann…**

 

**Takamaki Ann: pleeeeease?**

 

**You: ughhijvnjrvngrfn**

**You: tomorrow.**

**You: i’ll ask him ok?**

 

**Takamaki Ann: YAY!!!!!!! Love youuuu have a good day today!!!**

 

* * *

 

Going to the arcades earlier in the day, on a weekday no less, works favorably for the two of them as they’re able to move through and browse the machines easily. Ryuji passes by the crane games to the more expensive, elaborate machines. Hell, it’s his birthday. He can splurge. He sits at a racing game, turning the wheel as he needs to pick out his preferred settings. Goro stands up him with his arms crossed, face blank as he surveys the room, but Ryuji thinks he sees Goro’s nose twitch in disdain.

“Wanna race?” Ryuji asks, nodding his head towards the chair next to him. Goro gives it a onceover before shaking his head. Ryuji shrugs and begins his race. It’s not as fun as Mario Kart, especially without anyone to play with, so he entertains himself by making the car go too fast and crashing against walls.

When the game finishes, Ryuji realizes that Goro has wandered off, and he gets up to find him. He meanders to a secluded corner where a few gacha machines are placed and finds Goro standing in front of them holding an opened plastic ball in his hand.

“What’d you get?” Ryuji asks, stepping right behind Goro to peer down. It’s one of those Featherman guys Futaba likes. “Oh hell yeah, you got the black one!”

Goro doesn’t seem to share his enthusiasm, “Hmm. You’re a fan?”

“Yeah, this guy’s awesome. He’s all cool and mysterious with that dark and tragic past, but it makes him a total badass,” Ryuji raves. “Wait, who do you like?”

Goro’s head snaps up and his posture straightens, he takes a step back away from the machines, away from Ryuji. With nonchalance, he responds, “I don’t have any particular interest in them.”

“Bullshit, dude,” Ryuji grins, stepping up to the gacha machine while fetching his money out. He digs in his pocket for his money, inserting the coin into the slot. He doesn’t turn back to Goro to see if he reacts, but he does hear him step closer. The prize is released and Ryuji picks it up, opening it without fanfare. Goro inhales audibly as he does so, and Ryuji feels him bump into his back before he steps away again.

“Aw, the yellow one?” Ryuji groans. “He’s lame.”

“On the contrary,” Goro comments, “He offers vital support to the rest of the team. I think that even they fail to realize how much he gives, and just how strong he can be.”

Ryuji smirks, “Not a fan, huh?” He holds out the yellow toy while nodding towards Goro’s hand. “Wanna switch?”

Goro pauses, as if contemplating going back to faking ignorance. He eyes Ryuji’s palm, muttering, “I wanted the red one.”

Ryuji rolls his eyes, “The red one ain’t that cool.” Goro looks like he’s about to protest, and Ryuji interrupts, “Let’s trade. I like the black one, you like the yellow one, so it works out. And we can go check out the other arcades if you still wanna find the red dude.”

Goro hesitates, eventually taking the yellow toy and giving up the black one. Ryuji can’t help the child-like grin on his face, and he quickly pulls his phone out to attach him on there next to his ramen bowl charm. It matches with Ren’s, but the addition of the Featherman isn’t off-putting. The warmth in his chest feels fond and he turns back to Goro watching him.

“You hungry?” Ryuji asks. “I think there’s a crepe stand somewhere nearby.”

When they turn the corner to leave, Ryuji stops dead in his tracks. Goro, behind him, bumps into his back. “What?” he asks.

Ryuji  cranes his head around the corner once more, and mutters under his breath, “ _ shitshitshitshitshit _ -”

“Ryuji,” Goro says, “What is it?”

Ryuji breathes in deeply before he answers, “Okay. Look, but don’t look too long, okay?”

Goro gives an exasperated huff and looks around the corner. Ryuji peeks, and still sees who made him stop. Mishima  _ fucking _ Yuki. He should’ve realized that his old classmate would be here. Ren could hardly ever wander around here without running into him. Mishima used to say that he talked to Futaba all the time too, but she never said anything to support that claim.

But this is Mishima’s stomping grounds, and Ryuji should’ve known.

“That guy who looks like he’s our age? Over by the crane machine with the idol figures in it,” Ryuji describes. Goro hums, contemplative, and he calls that good enough to yank Goro back. Goro grunts, displeased with the manhandling, but Ryuji continues, “He worked pretty closely with the PTs.”

He leaves it at that, and Goro frowns at him. He peeks around the corner again, causing Ryuji’s heart to jump up in his throat. Goro turns back to him, “What the hell did he do that I never knew about him?”

“Uh…” Ryuji scratches the back of his head, “Remember the fansite you hacked?”

“The  _ Phansite _ ? With the ‘PH’?” Goro sneers. “Sure, why?”

Ryuji nods his head in Mishima’s direction, “He made it.”

Goro snorts, staring incredulously. When Ryuji doesn’t elaborate, he asks, “So? What does it matter?”

“He’ll remember you,” Ryuji stresses. “You hacked and killed his baby.”

“Oh, please. A monkey could’ve done that.” Goro grumbles, “The most abysmal firewalls I’ve ever seen-”

“He was also there on that field trip,” Ryuji interrupts. Sometimes that’s all he could do to stop Futaba’s tangents, and it works here too. “The one where you practically declared war against us.”

Goro shrugs, choosing not to deny the statement. “I see what you’re saying. It wouldn’t be good to be seen by him.”

“No, it wouldn’t!” Ryuji reiterates. “Even if he doesn’t realize you’re the one that hacked the website, he’ll be weird about you being around. Plus he’s a  _ huge  _ blabbermouth.” Ryuji pauses. “But I mean. He’s a nice guy.”

“Very convincing,” Goro smirks.

“He  _ is _ nice.” Ryuji huffs, “He’s just. Excitable? Kinda hard to talk to seriously, if I’m being honest.”

“You two sound like quite the pair,” Goro deadpans.

“I’m ignoring that. Point is, this is gonna be tricky to explain, and even trickier to get him to keep quiet.”

Before Ryuji even has time to begin formulating a plan, he hears Mishima groan, “Aw, balls.”

Goro meets Ryuji’s puzzled gaze, then they both turn to look. Mishima stands dejectedly in front of the crane game empty-handed, and they watch him as he walks away, slow and defeated.

“Great, he’s gone,” Ryuji rejoices. “Let’s hurry and go.”

He ushers out a sputtering Goro out of the building, and keeps his hands on his shoulders until they’re ducked away into a quiet side street. Only then does he feel like he can breathe a sigh of relief.

“That was a bit dramatic,” Goro comments, stepping back and rubbing at his shoulders.

Ryuji doesn’t think he was too rough pushing at him, but he shrugs. “You’ve never had to talk to Mishima before.”

“I thought he was a nice guy,” Goro teases.

“Well, yeah, but-”

Goro interrupts, “I’m just surprised that you seem to have mixed feelings about him. You seem to be the type to see starkly in black and white.”

Ryuji mulls it over. He can’t figure out if Goro’s insulting him. “He’s not a scumbag or anything. And it’s not like I regularly avoid him, I hung out with him a lot in high school.”

“So it’s my presence that makes talking to him bothersome,” Goro inquires. He sounds intrigued rather than offended, but Ryuji still needs to correct him.

“No, it ain’t that. I don’t want anything to ruin this for us just ‘cause of who we run into. Especially if we can easily avoid it.” Goro keeps his eyes on him, pensive, as if he’s searching for something else. “I can talk to Mishima whenever and it’d be just fine. But this-” He gestures between them, “-is more important to me right now.”

Goro’s eyes flick away then, running over their surroundings. Maybe Ryuji’s satisfied his curiosity enough.

The moment hangs too thick, and Ryuji cuts it with a cough, “So, uh, you wanted the red Featherman? We can try and find another gacha machine.”

Goro tilts his head, “What time are we having dinner with your mom? Perhaps we should head to the restaurant instead.”

Ryuji pulls out his phone to check the time. It’s early evening, and the sun has barely started to set. But he supposes it’d do them some good to leave this area and explore somewhere else.

“It’s near the 105, wanna hit that up?” He suggests.

Goro smiles, “All right.”

 

* * *

 

They browse through the clothing stores in 105 for a bit before they realize that everything is pretty much out of their price range, and they leave the building to walk around with a slow, directionless pace. People are heading home from work, groups of kids are gossiping, and men are yelling advertisements before store fronts. It’s familiar, but somehow disconcerting.

“Didn’t realize how quiet Iwatodai was,” Ryuji murmurs, and Goro hums in agreement.

“Bordering the ocean makes it seem more isolated, I suppose. You’re not completely surrounded by crowds.” Goro suggests.

“It’s just crazy what a difference twenty minutes makes,” Ryuji shakes his head. “Does Iwatodai feel like home to you?”

Goro smiles something soft like he saw that question coming. He looks up to the top of the building, thick clouds obscuring any stars that could possibly be visible. Iwatodai would have had more to see. “I don’t think I’m equipped to call anything  _ home _ . But I do feel more alive there than I ever felt here.”

“Alive?” Ryuji questions.

Goro looks at him and his expression comes off as unfocused, “It’s your birthday, let’s not talk about such things.”

Ryuji could push, but Goro has a point. He says with sincerity, “I’m glad Iwatodai is treating you well.”

Goro huffs, soft, “Where are we meeting your mother?”

“It’s just around the corner here,” Ryuji leads the way. He spots his mom standing outside the restaurant’s building; she’s scrolling on her phone, but she looks up and pockets it immediately. She shuffles over to meet the boys in the middle.

“Happy birthday, hon,” she says as she hugs Ryuji. He wraps his arms around her, and she rocks him with a gleeful giggle. When they part, she addresses them both, “You hungry?”

“Starved,” Ryuji answers, and Goro’s nodding in agreement. They follow her inside and up the elevator to their destination. Ryuji’s mother makes idle chatter on the way, asks how bad the crowds were and what they did for lunch.

“Sandwiches-“ Ryuji tries to respond, but Goro talks over him.

“Crepes. Sweet ones,” then the little shit smirks at him, proud of being a nasty tattler,  _ of course. _

“You must really miss your dentist, don’t you?” Ryuji’s mother scolds him, mouth quirking up.

Ryuji points a finger at Goro, “Koji hasn’t seen a dentist in years. Probably.”

“I’m sure Koji-kun has a better grasp on dental hygiene though, yes?” She turns to Goro. They share sweet smiles with each other and Ryuji groans in defeat.

The elevator dings with their arrival, and Ryuji makes haste to escape the two and their jabs at him. His mother steps up to the counter to give her name and they get escorted to a table. Ryuji’s eyes zero in on the sushi on the conveyors passing them by and his mouth waters as he takes a seat. Goro sits next to him and his mother reaches out from across the table. “I wanted something more special than conveyor belt,” she begins.

“And I wanted to eat a shit ton and not break the bank,” Ryuji counters, and his mother glares at him. “Sorry. Crap ton. A lot.”

She rolls her eyes and turns to Goro, “Please feel free to get anything you’d like.” He smiles politely before turning to watch the food pass them by.

Ryuji sees a salmon roll and grabs it, placing it in front of Goro. In return, Goro blinks at him. “What?” Ryuji shrugs, “I took a guess.”

Goro readies his chopsticks, muttering thanks. After a couple of rounds while Ryuji’s mom tells them about her work day, she waves a hand, “But what did you two do today? Aside from eating sweets and ruining your teeth?”

Ryuji stuffs a tempura roll in his mouth and says, “Arcades.”

She blinks, unimpressed. She looks at Goro, as if for confirmation, “Arcades? That’s it?”

Goro responds, “That’s what he wanted.”

“They don’t have arcades in Iwatodai?”

“Akiba is  _ the _ arcade place, Ma,” Ryuji reasons, mouth still full.

“But out of everything we have here,” she continues, words slow in bewilderment, “you went to the arcades. Does Koji-kun even  _ like _ arcades?”

“He said we can do what I want,” Ryuji pouts, gesturing to himself, “Birthday Boy.”

“I had a good time,” Goro assuages her. “I had never been to Akiba before, it was exciting.” She stared, as if she didn’t believe him. “And now I’ve got a souvenir,” he adds, pulling something out of his pocket and showing it to her. It’s his cell phone, with the yellow featherman hanging off the end. Ryuji grins.

His mother seems to find it endearing as well, and she acquiesces, “Well, I suppose you have the whole week to explore. There’s the planetarium in Ikebukuro, Sky Tree… Oh! Destinyland just opened a new attraction, that could be fun!”

Ryuji’s stomach sinks hearing that as he’s reaching for nigiri. His hand retreats, and he sits quiet while Goro keeps up the conversation, “Ah, yes, there was something on the news about that.”

She nods and addresses Ryuji, “And you’ve been before, right hon? When was that?”

Ryuji sighs deeply. Tries to not let the heaviness he feels come off too obviously, “Uh, Haru invited us out when we were in high school. It was in late October?” The day her father passed away on national television. He glances at Goro out the corner of his eye, sees a stiff awareness in his posture. He guesses that means Goro’s done the math right.

“Ah, so the weather was much nicer than this time of year, huh?” His mother slumps.

“It’s really expensive, too.” Not that he bought anything, but any excuse is better than the idea of walking around there with  _ Goro _ , the memory something so gratuitously violent that  _ he _ caused hanging over both of their heads. That’s the last thing they need.

“Winter break then, maybe,” Goro speaks, carefully controlled and perfectly casual.

Ryuji nods at him, out of gratitude than anything else. Goro looks past him, and he doesn’t necessarily like the cold distance either. “Can you hand me the yellowtail?” Goro asks him, and Ryuji jolts into action.

He’ll try to make it up to Goro by taking him somewhere else this week, somewhere he’d really like. He recalls growing flowers with Haru on the roof again- trying to push that night and her gut-wrenching sobs out of his mind- but he wants that same kind of moment with Goro.

He’s mulling over ideas in his mind when his mother asks, “Any plans for tomorrow then?”

“Gotta see Ann, or else she won’t leave me alone,” Ryuji grumbles. His phone vibrates with another text from her, as if to prove his point.  **YOU BETTER COME OVER TOMORROW** one text reads.  **IM GOING CRAZY I NEED TO TALK TO PPLLLLLLL** another one says. Ryuji slips his phone back into his pocket with a shake of his head.

“Will you be going with, Koji-kun?”

Ryuji keeps his eyes on the food, curious to hear Goro’s answer. This is all very delicate, but it’s better that she asks and not him.

“Oh, well,” Goro laughs, placatingly, “I couldn’t impose.”

“Ann-chan isn’t that scary,” Ryuji’s mother smiles, “I think you two would have quite a bit in common. More than being mutual friends with Ryuji, at least.”

“It’s alright, I don’t mind being on my own for a little while.” Goro protests.

Ryuji decides this is the best time to chime in, “It’d be okay, you know. If you did wanna come. Ann wouldn’t mind.”

They look at each other pointedly. The daggers in Goro’s eyes read  _ don’t you lie to me _ . 

_ It’ll work out,  _ Ryuji’s answering gaze says.

His mother disrupts the silence, “Well, maybe it’s for the best.” Her tone reeks of reverse psychology, something Ryuji has been all too familiar with since childhood. “It might be your only chance to see some actual culture in Tokyo. Before Ryuji drags you back to the dark depths of ‘otaku central.’”

Goro plays along, shudders visibly. Ryuji groans, “Ma, I swear I have more stuff planned. I mentioned the bookstore. You like books?” He asks Goro pointedly.

“Books are nice,” Goro says with a smirk, unhelpful.

“Well, shit, dude, it’s not like you’ve given me any suggestions,” Ryuji throws up his hands.

 

* * *

 

When they return home, there’s three cupcakes sitting inexplicably on the kitchen counter, with an unlit candle sticking out of the middle one. Ryuji’s mother makes a show of singing Happy Birthday and she coaxes Goro to sing too. His voice is stupidly cute and perfectly on pitch. Ryuji makes funny faces at him to try and get him to break his composure. 

After the song, Ryuji wastes no time getting into his dessert, and he watches with a full mouth as his mother explains that the other two are vanilla and chocolate, and Goro is free to choose which one he’d prefer. He goes for the vanilla, and she grins, “Us Sakamotos love our chocolate.” She raises the cupcake to compare to Ryuji’s, the same flavor.

“I had a suspicion,” Goro winks. Ryuji inhales the rest of his dessert with an eyeroll.

Once the cupcakes are finished, Ryuji’s mom heads to her room for the night, and a lull falls over the lowly illuminated kitchen as Ryuji fetches the two of them glasses of water.

To Goro’s credit, he at least gives the peaceful quiet a couple of minutes before he strikes, “Your insistence on me meeting your friends is astonishingly bold.” The tone is neutral, unsuspect, but his grip on the counter is rigid and tight. A riot barely held back.

Ryuji shakes his head, placating, “I’m not trying to push.” Goro’s head turns so sharp that Ryuji worries about his neck. “Not too much, anyway,” he hastens to add. “I never implied I was gonna make you see Ann, just that I think it really would be okay if you wanted to come along. Alright?”

“What on Earth makes you think that something like that wouldn’t end in total disaster?” Goro responds, crossing his arms.

Ryuji feels an impulse wanting to jump out, and he shoves it aside. Yelling won’t get them anywhere. “Well, me and her were pretty much equally affected by your actions. That is to say,  _ transitively _ , instead of directly.” He juts his chin out, proud that is C grade in math came in handy for something. “We were both removed enough that we could see how much of your free will was really involved-”

“Don’t make excuses,” Goro hisses.

“Wasn’t,” Ryuji insists. “We were just able to see the bigger picture. Better than the others, at least. We turned our anger to the right target pretty quick. And after- well, I dunno. We had less to mourn for, I guess, so Ann and I at least felt a lot for you.” Ryuji shudders, “Ugh, is that effed up or what? I dunno how to phrase it any better though.”

Goro remains silent, but Ryuji knows it’s not from a lack of words. He shrugs and places his empty glass by the sink, “What I said at dinner was that it’d be okay  _ if _ you wanted to go. It’s up to you. But I do have to go. Otherwise, she’ll break into the apartment in a rage and find out you’re alive  _ that _ way. And that’d be so much shittier to deal with.”

It’s quiet as Goro ponders about something, then he murmurs, “Can I let you know in the morning?”

Ryuji blinks. He didn’t actually expect anything aside from a vehement denial. He stutters out, “Uh. Yeah. Cool. No problem.”

Goro nods gratefully, and slowly releases his grip on the counter. He attempts to flex out his hands before he sighs, and  _ crack, crack, crack  _ fills the night’s silence.

Ryuji swallows. “I need a shower,” he says, abrupt.

Still looking uneasy, Goro frowns at him as he inches out of the room. He bids him a good night with a sincere, “Happy Birthday, Ryuji.”

Ryuji hesitates at the door and nods, “Thanks, man.”

 

* * *

 

Despite their talk, Goro seems standoffish come morning, so Ryuji cuts his losses and prepares to head out on his own. Goro’s dressed and seated on the couch, eyes glued to the TV playing the news that his mom turned on before she headed out to work. Ryuji slings his backpack over his shoulder- it has his laptop and some study guides from his exams, since he actually intends to help Ann prepare for her own- and toes on his shoes by the front door, giving one last glance back at Goro.

No acknowledgement. Ryuji huffs at the back of Goro’s head, “I’m leaving. I’m not gonna stay long, only a couple of hours. You can help yourself to whatever. If you decide to go somewhere, I can just meet up with you?” Goro’s head tilts the slightest degree in his direction. “Or not. If you need the day alone, that’s fine.”

“You’re pouting,” Goro points out.

“I don’t know what you want, man,” Ryuji groans. “I’m trying my best, but you’re not really giving me anything to work off of.”

Goro turns fully to meet his eyes, “I don’t have a satisfying answer for you.”

Ryuji frowns and steps away from the door, closer to him, “What do you mean? It’s not about me. I just don’t want you feeling put out. You came here ‘cause I asked, we did what I wanted yesterday, like. Is it weird for me to be worried if you’re having a good time or not?”

“And my answer is,” Goro’s expression seizes, like there’s something stuck in his throat, “In revision?”

“Huh?”

Goro stands, suddenly, pacing in front of the couch. He explains, stilted, “I’m. Trying. Because what I’ve  _ wanted _ is self preservative, but counterproductive.”

He looks to Ryuji, as if hoping he doesn’t have to elaborate. Ryuji nods, “Yeah, okay, I get that. But you gotta be at least a little willing. Something can be scary, but you still wanna do it. Like a roller coaster. If it’s a hard no for you, that’s okay, but if you’re a little curious...”

Goro’s pacing stops, “That’s oversimplifying things a bit.”

“Maybe you’re overthinking,” Ryuji counters.

“Takamaki seems the type to get what she wants,” Goro argues, but he steps closer to Ryuji. His arms remain defensive crossed over his chest, but his shoulders aren’t as tense as last night.

Ryuji shrugs, “Well, you’re not wrong, but you’re also not gonna be alone either. I’ve known Ann for forever, I know how to give her just enough information to satisfy her.”

Goro gives him an impressed look, facial features sharp in his appraisal. Eyebrows raised, eyes gleaming, mouth quirked up. Ryuji swallows and stares him down, like it’s a contest. He has the capability to be clever, it shouldn’t be such a revelation.

He’s secretly glad, though, when his phone buzzes and he has to break the eye contact to pull it out of his pocket. It’s Ann, asking where the hell he is. He sighs with finality, “That’s her. I gotta get going. How are you feeling?”

Goro hums thoughtfully, keeping up a calm facade. He walks past Ryuji and kneels down to get his shoes on. When he stands, he relents, “I am a little curious.”

 

* * *

 

The houses along their path grow taller and taller as they get closer to Ann’s apartment complex- fancier by all accounts in comparison to Ryuji’s. The words “organic” and “herbal” start appearing on signs more frequently, and the bags people are carrying around them get more expensive. Ryuji hunches his shoulders and firmly keeps his eyes forward and away from judging eyes. He hears Goro grumbling behind him, “Need a smoke.”

“We can stop,” Ryuji suggests, looking around. “I dunno where a smoking area is, though.”

“No, no,” Goro protests, “I don’t have anything on me.”

Ryuji stops and turns to him, “You ran out?”

“Left them at home,” he clarifies. “It would’ve been rude to your mother.”

“And you’re good? Don’t people get, like, irritable when they don’t smoke?”

Goro looks amused, “I’m always irritable.”

Ryuji feels like disagreeing, “I dunno, but you really seem laid back now knowing you’ve been going without.”

“It’s not like I’m a chainsmoker,”  Goro murmurs. “How much further?”

“We’re almost there,” Ryuji continues walking, and Goro bemoans how unhelpful he’s being.

They turn the corner, and Ryuji’s step falters because Ann’s  _ waiting _ for them in front of her complex. She’s only done this a handful of times, mostly when people are visiting for the first time and the doorman won’t recognize them. He certainly didn’t expect her to come down for  _ him _ , even if he was bringing a friend.

If Goro has noticed Ann’s presence or Ryuji’s hesitation, he makes no sound indicating as such, and Ryuji turns to him with a weakly plastered smile on his face, “Do you wanna hang back?” Goro’s head tilts, and he elaborates, “I just wanna like. Make sure she’s not coming in blind.”

“Ah,” Goro nods, and backs up around the corner with a lazy wave of his hand. Ryuji hopes he’s not offended, but he’s trying to ease everyone into this situation as gently as possible.

He sighs in vain, and walks to Ann. “Hey, dummy,” he calls out to her, because he can’t help himself.

Her head whips around to his direction, and his eyes are drawn to the brief flow of her hair. She went for a dramatic change after graduating high school- losing the pigtails and cutting it to her shoulders. ‘It’s more mature,’ she said at the time, and Ryuji does have to admit that it suits her. Anything could, of course, but he really likes the change.

“ _ You’re _ the dummy,” she counters cleverly, and stalks up to him with greedy eyes. “Where is he?”

“What?” He asks, and she slaps his arm.

“You promised me you’d bring Koji. Where is he?” She tries peaking around behind him, as if she’ll find someone who’s definitely not who she is remotely picturing.

He scoffs and scratches at the back of his head, “What, am I not enough?” She gives him a light-hearted glare, her hands are at her hips expectantly. “I wasn't gonna bring him, to be honest. But this trip is going really well, and I thought it would be really, really nice if this ended up being a good thing too.”

Ann straightens up at his tone- careful, but optimistic. She looks wary, “Ryuji, what do you mean?”

He grabs her arms, pleading, “Don’t freak out. I meant everything I’ve ever said about him. Alright?”

“What’s going on?” Her voice wavers, then her gaze shoots behind him, eyes wide, “Is that-”

Ryuji turns his head and sees Goro inching his way towards them. His head is held high, but his fists are clenched tightly at his sides. Ryuji gives him an encouraging smile, and Goro zeroes in on it, making direct eye contact as he keeps coming closer. Ryuji feels himself nodding and he holds his gaze.

He barely registers whatever Ann’s murmuring, despite her being in his arms, until she shouts, “THAT’S AKECHI GORO!”

He slaps his hand over her mouth in a panic. She protests violently, struggling in his grip and licking his palm to get him to let her go, a slew of profanities coming out muffled. “ _ Holy shit _ , Ann, not so loud!” He turns around to gauge Goro’s reaction and sees that he’s stopped walking, eyes darting like he’s going to make a run for it. “GORO! Don’t move! Just give me a minute.” Goro jumps at being caught and crosses his arms over his chest, looking anywhere else but at the two blondes.

Ann raises a leg to kick at Ryuji, so he lets her go and steps back. She huffs loudly and shakes out her limbs, ever the dramatic. She takes a deep breath, like she’s preparing another scream, so Ryuji interrupts.

“Don’t freak out,” he repeats. She scoffs, and he interrupts her again by clapping his hands together, “Please.  _ Pleasepleaseplease _ try and stay calm.”

She’s breathing heavily, looking from him to Goro behind them. She shakes her head, “Akechi is Koji?”

“Yes,” he answers bluntly.

“You’ve been hanging out. With  _ Akechi _ . For the past three months?”

“Yeah.”

“Akechi. Who’s  _ alive _ ?”

Ryuji nods, and he quiets his tone, “I don’t even know how long he’s been living in Iwatodai, I just know he hasn’t been in Shibuya.”

“Wait,  _ how long _ have you known?” She sneers. “That’s a really weird way to put it? We thought he was  _ dead _ .”

Ryuji pales, “W-well… H-he told me he left Shibuya pretty much immediately. Like when we first met.” The lies are flimsy and taste god-awful on his tongue.

“Ryuji,” Ann presses, teeth clenched, “How long. Have you known?”

Her stare breaks him down too easily, like a soft wind against a house of cards. He leans in closer to whisper, “Ever since we stole Shido’s treasure.”

“WHAT?” She screams, and Ryuji’s head darts around in a panic. Everyone in the vicinity is staring at them, and some are even asking Goro what’s going on. He looks at them, apologetically clueless, before giving Ryuji a hard glance.

He attempts to placate Ann once more, “Ann  _ please _ , I can explain later, can we not make a scene?”

“You love making a scene!” She yells.

“I do not! It just happens!” Realizing he’s matching her volume, he takes a deep breath. “He saved my life, Ann.”

She looks dumbfounded at his words, “Huh? What do you mean?”

“When the ship was destroyed, I fell in the water. The explosion was crazy, I couldn’t tell down from up.” Something in him shudders recalling that night. “I was going to drown, but he saved me. Pulled me out of the water and used the MetaNav to get us out.”

“Why didn’t you tell us? Why’d you let us think he was dead?” She’s upset, betrayed, and guilt sits like a stone in Ryuji’s throat.

He has no better explanation than, “He told me not to. He made me promise. And I heard you guys crying and I just. Let him go. He disappeared and I honestly had no idea where he could have gone. It wouldn’t count for anything for me to tell the truth.”

“That’s not true,” she murmurs, “you wouldn’t have had to carry the burden of that knowledge alone.”

He brushes the idea off, “Could’ve, should’ve. Now you know, I’m sorry for lying.”

“Well… Wow,” she exclaims. “You kept this a secret for months!” Ann smiles, but it’s shaky, “Really well, though, I gotta say.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Ryuji shuffles. “I’m so sorry, though, I just didn’t know what to do. At first it was like. Well, I gotta see what the hell he’s up to, you know? And then it turned into…” He trails off, shrugging at Ann uselessly.

She nods, “Yeah, I mean. The group chat is a mess already. I can’t imagine what it’d be like if we all found  _ this _ out.” She gestures behind them in Goro’s direction, stopping to stare. “He’s just here.  _ Alive. Existing. _ Holy fuck.”

Ryuji laughs uneasily, “Yeah, it was really weird for me at first. But he’s never tried anything, Ann, he’s really just trying to exist quietly, day by day.”

“You’re  _ friends _ with that guy,” Ann says, sounding appalled. “Ren’s weird thing with him was one thing, but-”

“What thing?” Ryuji reels back.

“But Ryuji. He killed people. You remember that right?” Ann puts a hand on his upper arm and squeezes.

He huffs, feeling himself getting annoyed, “Yeah, I fuckin’ remember. We almost did too, you remember that?” She flushes, and looks at the ground. He feels bad for bringing up Kamoshida, but Goro’s actions can’t be boiled down so simply. He’s been thinking deeply about all this, taking everything into consideration, he can’t stand that Ann thinks he’s just being reckless. “That’s also why I couldn’t just drop a bombshell like this into the chat. That’s so insensitive to Haru and Futaba. I’m sorry I kept this a secret, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make this work out for the best, because I think it can. I think he really wants to try.”

She frowns at that, and stares at him like she’s trying to figure out a puzzle. Ryuji tries to turn his head enough to catch where Goro is now, but Ann squeezes his arm again and speaks, “You’re serious.”

“When the hell am I not?” He growls.

Ann looks like she wants to ask a million more questions, gaping for a few moments before she settles with, “You couldn’t have come up with a better name than  _ Koji _ ?”

It’s Ryuji’s turn to go slack-jawed, “Wh- Huh?”

“ _ Little Boy? _ You couldn’t think of anything better than  _ Koji _ ?” She teases, and clicks her tongue, “I should’ve known something was up. I thought it was just a crush, not that you had a crush on The Akechi Go-”

“Stop, stop,” Ryuji protests and reaches out with his hand again. Ann sticks out her tongue and he relents. “I didn’t ‘come up’ with anything, that’s his real name.”

Ann balks at him, “Huh?”

“It’s true. My mother gave me that name.” The two of them turn around sharply. Goro’s made his way closer to them during their squabble and his posture is once again more straight, giving off an air of arrogance. His smile is mean as he continues, “I’ll be sure to let her know what you think of it the next time I visit her grave.”

Ryuji falters, and it’s as if the air stills. His eyes dart in between them, and he watches as Ann straightens up her posture as well and stares him down. He’s found himself caught in between two divas. The July air is sticking to the back of his neck, and he feels uncomfortably sweaty.

Ann relaxes with a smirk, “I’ll be damned, it really is you.” Goro makes a half-assed attempt at a bow and she rolls her eyes playfully, “Come on, let’s get out of the heat.”

She leads the way indoors and as they follow her, Ryuji reminds her, “Yeah, you gotta get back to studying for those exams.”

She hits the elevator button and appraises him with an impressed grin, “Wow, you really did get all serious about school.”

Ryuji shrugs, “Can’t get nowhere without hard work. I worked hard in high school too, ya know. Eventually,” he adds, indignant.

Ann knocks their shoulders together, “I know you did.”

They file into the elevator with Ryuji in the middle. Ryuji notices that Goro’s fists are clenched, and he knocks their shoulders together, too. When they step out of the elevator and get to Ann’s front door, she pauses and laughs under her breath, “Can’t believe I’m about to let Akechi Goro into my house.”

“Ann-” Ryuji protests but she turns around with a grin.

“Relax, everything’s fine. It’s just weird.” She gestures to Goro, “Right? You understand.”

Goro doesn’t roll his eyes, but he definitely looks at the ceiling, “Yes, it’s weird. Standing out here in the hall isn’t helping, however.”

Ann grumbles something to herself before she opens the door and steps inside, gesturing for the other two to follow. The living room and kitchen look the same, although Ryuji suspects that Ann’s parents have a certain aesthetic they’re attached to, even if they’re not around to appreciate it. He moves to the dining table and places his backpack on a chair, getting his laptop and books out.

“Ugh, Ryuji,” Ann groans. “Can’t we like, ease into it?”

He chuckles, “Can’t keep procrastinating. You’ll feel better once it’s over.”

He catches Ann giving Goro a look while waving her arms at Ryuji, and Goro shrugs unenthusiastically. Ann scoffs, “How the hell am I supposed to sit down and focus on studying with Akechi Goro in my living room?”

“We can leave,” Ryuji snaps.

“Shut up, dummy,” Ann answers, exasperated. She moves to her cupboards in the kitchen and begins searching through them. She pulls out a box of cookies and sits down at the table across from him. “I just really don’t feel like studying now.”

Ryuji makes himself sit as well, “Did you feel like it before?”

Her smile turns cheeky, “No.”

“There’s only so much you can blame on me,” Goro mumbles from the corner.

Ann clears her throat and runs a hand through her hair, and Ryuji gives him a deadpan look, “Sit down, man.” He pulls out the chair next to him, and Goro goes without more of a fight. Ann seems entranced watching their exchange and Ryuji huffs through his nose under all the unnecessary scrutiny.

Ann wordlessly hands them both a cookie and they accept. As he’s chewing, Ryuji glances over Ann’s books, “What are you working on right now?”

“Communications,” she answers, pulling a pile of papers closer to her. “We have a list of terms and concepts we’ll be asked to define, so I’m just looking through all my notes for the answers. Aside from that, it’s all essays pretty much. There’s not a whole lot of studying to do.”

Ryuji nods, “We’ll keep you company for a bit.”

“It’s gonna get boring,” Ann shrugs. She opens up a notebook and starts reading through it; Ryuji opens his school’s webpage on his computer.

Goro inches his chair closer to watch over his shoulder as he pulls up emails from his teachers. He has a couple of reading assignments to do before break ends, but nothing too pressing. He figures he can get through one before Ann will let them leave.

About three pages in, Ryuji notices that Ann is taking her time working through her packet. When he watches her for a bit, he sees her glancing up in Goro’s direction repeatedly. Goro, wringing his hands in his lap, has undoubtedly noticed but he’s kept quiet.

“Are you going to school?”  Ann asks Goro.

Both boys straighten and Goro leans away from Ryuji. He hadn’t noticed that they were pressed so close, and now the space left feels too polite. Goro doesn’t answer right away, watching Ann like he’s looking for tells. “No, I’m working full-time.”

“Police work?” She guesses, keeping her eyes on her notebook.

“Waiter.”

Ann blinks and looks up, then she shakes her head, “Duh, I knew that. ‘Koji works at the diner,’ that’s right.”

Goro turns toward Ryuji who tries to look inconspicuous. He gives a carefully direct response, “You seem very focused on titles, Takamaki. If you’re having a difficult time conceptualizing my identity beyond you, you can think of it as I’ve moved on from Akechi Goro and from all of you. I live a different life with my true name. Something small, insignificant. The way it was meant to be.”

“Dude,” Ryuji nudges him and gives him a meaningful look. Goro shrugs off the contact and keeps his eyes on Ann. He’ll berate him later, Ryuji promises himself.

“But you’re with Ryuji willingly, and he calls you  _ Goro _ …” Ann frowns.

“That’s how he chooses to address me,” Goro sighs, ignoring the first bit. “I started going by my real name to distance myself from that other life.” He cringes, “It’s not fair of me to try and do so, but it was needed. Perhaps it’d be easier for you to digest this,” he gestures towards himself,  “if I reintroduced myself as Himura Koji.”

Ann frowns at him, mouth turned down harshly, but she looks down at him with a mixture of pity and disapproval, “I can separate the past from the present without pretending you’re another person, thanks. Guess some things don’t change.” Ryuji tries to interrupt again, but Ann talks over him, “Can’t you just be  _ you _ ? Is it really that hard without all of these mental gymnastics?”

Goro makes a dismissive sound, sucking his teeth, and looks away. Ryuji tries to communicate to Ann with exaggerated facial expressions but she refuses to look at him. She sighs when Goro doesn’t give her an answer, “Fine. I get it. You’re so self-centered, yet you hate yourself, so your logical conclusion is always going to be that  _ you’re _ the problem. If you remove yourself, you fix it. Plain and simple, right?” She leans in and reaches a hand out, but knows better than to make contact, “But it’s more complicated than that. Your existence isn’t the problem. You were one of us, and we thought you  _ died _ . You don’t understand what it means to me that you’re here. Alive and well.”

She smiles, genuine, “I’m happy you’re here. I’m pissed as hell that you ran away, that you hid from us and everything you did. God, I’m mad at you,” she laughs weakly. “Prosecutor Sae-san never stopped looking for you-”

“ _ Ann, enough, _ ” Ryuji hisses, and she gives him a wounded look. He shakes his head solemnly, and she relents.

“Mostly I’m just. Overwhelmed. Two years is a long time to think of someone in one way- to mourn them, and think about what could have been. And to have all of that changed like this, it’s. A lot to process. It changes a lot of things,” she concludes with a thoughtful nod. Goro seems to have shut down, and Ryuji sighs heavily. Ann gives him an encouraging smile, though, and he tries to mirror it back. She means well in her honesty.

“In good ways, yeah?” Ryuji prompts, because he knows that Goro tends to over analyze. He picks one point to tear you down on and ignores the rest, and the dark storm looming beside him doesn’t bode well.

“Yeah!” Ann grins. “Of course I’m happy you’re not dead,” she says to Goro.

That earns her a skeptical huff from him. “Oh, thank you so much. I’m so grateful for your kindness and forgiveness,” Goro says flatly.

She turns back to her homework, “You can think it’s a lie all you want. Clearly, there’s some part of you that believes in us, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

Ryuji tentatively turns to Goro, who is seething in Ann’s general direction. “Who wants tea?” He declares, a desperate attempt at changing the subject.

“Tea?” Ann asks, nose scrunched up, “What, are we gonna play Go next?”

“Doesn’t have to be tea,” Ryuji retorts. “Just.  _ Something _ to drink would be nice.”

“God, yeah, a drink,” Goro sighs under his breath, leaning back and pinching his nose.

“Coffee?” Ann suggests. “I have some Cuban Crystal Mountain from Leblanc.” Ryuji’s eyes grow wide, and he shakes his head vigorously, gesturing at his neck with his hands. “ _ What? _ ” Ann shouts.

Goro gives an exasperated sigh and stands up. The blondes shoot their heads over to watch him, and he bows his head towards them with slight humility. “Do you mind?” He murmurs to Ann, nodding towards the kitchen.

She nods with some hesitation, “Uh, sure. Cupboard by the coffee maker should have everything you need.” Goro makes his way out of the room, and as soon as he’s out of sight, Ryuji beckons Ann closer, and she complies with a frown.

“ _ Shit,  _ Ann,” he hisses, eyes darting to where Goro went. “The hell are you doing?”

“The hell are  _ you _ doing?” She retorts. “You can’t ask him to come back to Shibuya, to come see  _ me _ , and then flip out at every little remnant from the past.”

“What? I just…” He trails off, shrugging. He’s tried pretty hard to avoid talking about  _ Ren  _ in particular, figuring that was the biggest gaping wound. Coffee, Leblanc, it was all just one charismatic backflip away from bringing him up unnecessarily. “What did you mean earlier by ‘weird thing’?”

Ann rolls her eyes and groans, exasperated, “Oh, my god! You always get like this! Too protective and jealous for hardly anything.”

“I’m not fucking jealous.” He hears Goro searching through the cupboards and lowers his voice, “There are hard limits to what people can and can’t talk about.”

“And he’s a grown ass man, Ryuji,” Ann points out. “He can decide all that for himself.” She leans back and gives her study guide a cursory glance, before she shoves it aside. “I don’t think he’s the type to wig out over coffee. Give him  _ some _ credit.”

Ryuji sneers at her petulantly, looking away when Goro approaches with a nondescript mug. He sets it down in front of Ryuji, “It should be sweet enough to your liking. I don’t know why I was surprised to see that Takamaki had whipped cream and chocolate sauce readily available.”

“It’s for ice cream, duh,” Ann chimes in.

The corner of Goro’s mouth tilts up. “How do you take your coffee?” He asks her.

“With Bailey’s,” she answers swiftly with a smirk. “There’s a bottle in the fridge.” Goro tilts his head at her, intrigued. “Yeah, have some,” she nods. He bows his head in thanks before heading back to the kitchen.

“How’d you get booze?” Ryuji asks.

“Parents bought it last time they were here,” she waves her hand, nonchalant. “They’re European, they don’t care if I drink in the house.”

“That must make you popular with your collegiate peers,” Goro speculates, placing a mug in front of Ann before sitting next to Ryuji with his own. Ryuji feels relief that he’s participating in the conversation now that it’s on a lighter topic. “Or, more popular than you would be otherwise.”

Ann snorts, “Clearly, you don’t get what it’s like being half. Most people stay away ‘cause they’re intimidated.”

“Ah,” Goro responds, “I imagine it’s the same feeling as the entire student body knowing you’re passed around from family member to family member with no one wanting to take you in.”

Ann doesn’t hesitate, “Maybe.”

They share some weird look, secret smiles with a touch of cunning, and Ryuji groans before trying his coffee. “This was a mistake,” he jokes, “Getting the two of you together.”

“You made this happen,” Ann reminds him. “Now you gotta deal with it.”

Goro chuckles, and Ryuji decides that if the pair are bonding over his misery, then it must be worth it. The conversation dies down as Ann gets back to her studying, and Ryuji turns to Goro to give him an optimistic look. Goro meets it, but he’s keeping his expression blank, guarded. Ryuji lets him be and goes back to reading. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Goro pull his phone out to keep himself entertained in the midst of the lull.

It’s not quite peaceful, but it’s not stiff with anxiety either. It’s a nervous energy, like taking a test while being confident in most of the answers. After Ryuji reads a few more paragraphs, he feels a tapping at his forearm. “I need your charger,” Goro says.

“Oh, sure,” Ryuji reaches for his backpack. “Want the portable one, or you can connect to my computer?”

Goro sits up with cat-like laziness and leans in closer, “I can plug it in. Just don’t hack into it again,” he teases.

“Nah, Futaba ain’t hooked up to this laptop,” Ryuji promises.

Goro smirks at him, “No, I would think not.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He taps the computer lightly, like it will crumble under pressure, “This should be in a historical museum. It looks like it wouldn’t survive a hacking.”

Ryuji scowls and pulls it closer to him, “Yeah, so, I’ve had her for a while, she still works great.”

“You know a lot about hacking, huh?” Ann chimes in, mouth quirking upwards. “Makes you wonder how you missed it the first time around.”

Goro’s too quick with his response, “Your act of complete incompetence had just enough truth to it for your benefit.”

Ann opens her mouth to snark back at him when Ryuji interjects, “Play. Nice. For eff’s sake.”

She collapses back in her chair, “What,  _ he _ can make jokes and I can’t?”

Goro’s smile is subtle, but soft, and he lets the conversation drop to look back at his phone. Ann’s still watching them with fascination and Ryuji gives her a half-assed glare. She had no problem with  _ Koji _ . He gets that this is weird, but he thought what Ann said earlier meant that she was ready to give Goro a chance. If Ryuji can be comfortable with Goro like this, surely Ann can stop her gawking.

Goro scoots his chair closer for easier access to his phone, and Ryuji tries to stay focused despite the lack of space. Their arms are pressed together, knees knocking every now and then under the table.

Ryuji’s stomach growls audibly, ruining the quiet before it’s even settled back in. He groans and shuts his laptop shut with finality, “What you got to eat, Ann?”

“Usually I just go to the cafeteria on campus?” Ann shrugs.

“ _ For real _ , Ann?” Ryuji questions her.

“Oh, like  _ you _ don’t eat out all the time,” Ann shoots back. “The evidence is right next to you!”

She gestures to Goro, and Ryuji puffs out his chest. “He makes home-cooked meals,” he announces proudly.

Ann turns to Goro with her mouth open wide, “You’ve been domesticated.”

Goro sits up, “I’m self-sufficient. Cooking is a skill the both of you should learn.”

“Well whatever,” Ann dismisses the comment. “We can order takeout. There’s this great Chinese place nearby called Aiya, here’s their menu.” She slides her phone to Ryuji, and he browses the restaurant's website. There’s something advertised in giant letters called “Mega Beef Bowl Challenge (In store only),” and he lingers on it until he feels Goro lean in, trying to look along with him, and he clicks to their dinner options.

“I can cover us,” Ryuji murmurs to him, and Goro looks at him with a raised brow. He snickers, “Why stop now?” It earns him an amused huff and a shake of Goro’s head, but no more of a fight than that. Once they figure out what they want to eat, Ryuji slides the phone back to Ann, and she puts it to her ear to make the call.

 

* * *

 

 

They get through the next couple of hours without issue, and Ryuji packs up his things to call it quits. Ann smiles warmly and walks them to the door.

“Good luck on your finals,” he tells her. “Keep it up, you’re in the final stretch.”

She sighs, sounding exhausted, “Yeah, thanks. Thanks for keeping me company, too. I was gonna be pissed if I didn’t see you during your break.”

“Nah, I always got time for you,” he insists.

She nods, satisfied. “And Futaba?”

“Yeah, uh…” Ryuji glances at Goro, scratching the back of his head. “We are pretty tied up the next two days.”

He doesn’t acknowledge Ann’s raised eyebrows, but he can’t ignore Goro’s puzzled expression, “Oh? I wasn’t aware we had anything planned.”

“It’s a surprise,” Ryuji grins. “We don’t got time for any more house visits,” he adds, to make it clear to Goro that meeting with Ann was a one-time thing.

“Oh, so you always have time for me but not Futaba?’” Ann crosses her arms over her chest, and Ryuji crumbles under the pressure of two judging stares.

“Oh my god, that sounds so awful when you say it like that,” Ryuji cringes.

“Because it is!”

Ryuji groans, feeling completely at odds with himself. He keeps looking from Goro to Ann, as if they’ll provide him any help, and he hangs his head in defeat, “I’m gonna go see her okay? Just not tonight.”

Ann purses her lips, “You know, she was really bummed she didn’t get to see you on your birthday. The least you could do is pay her a visit the day afterward.”

“I’m pretty sure she’d prefer to see you than me,” Ryuji says.

“You’re deflecting,” Ann counters.

He sighs again, scratching the back of his head, “I’ll- I’ll think about it, okay?”

She looks satisfied, as if his answer is as a confirmation as any. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah, come here.” He wraps her up tight, raising his eyebrows at Goro behind her. Goro rolls his eyes with a wave of his hand. When they part, Ann turns to Goro and hesitates to ask, “Do you mind if I talk with Ryuji for a bit?”

“Of course,” Goro agrees readily, and steps out of the apartment. “I’ll be here.”

Ryuji nods at him as Ann closes the door, and he sighs, “I’m sorry about what I said. I really do wanna see Futaba. And I’m going to! I promise.”

“I know,” she says lowly. “And I get that you wouldn’t have time for everyone. But it’s only me and Futaba left.”

“Right, yeah, I just-” Ryuji gestures to the door, and his words stop there. Goro has been at the forefront of his mind. The only reason he came to see Ann was because she pestered him so much about it. A heavy guilt sits at his shoulders.

Ann’s smile is gentle and knowing. “And I’m sorry, too, for teasing you so much about Koji- uh, Akechi.”

Ryuji throws his arms up, “Thank you. Now you see there’s absolutely nothing going on. We’re friends with more baggage than usual, that’s all.”

“Uh-huh,” Ann nods, skeptical. “Listen. In all seriousness? He’s never going to do anything. So when you eventually get your head out of your ass, do me a favor and don’t wait. Just go for it.”

Ryuji groans and reaches for the door handle, “I thought you were done.”

“I won’t talk about it anymore,” she relents with her hands up. She goes in for another hug before he leaves, “Love you.”

He kisses the top of her head, “Love you too. Come to my neck of the woods next time?”

“Will do,” she promises before shooing him out.

Goro and Ryuji keep quiet as they make their way out of the building. Goro looks exhausted, but he doesn’t seem tense like he was when they left the apartment. It must’ve been somewhat cathartic for him to come here, and Ryuji feels a swell of pride in his chest on his behalf.

When they get to the station, he tells Goro, “Thank you for coming with me today. It meant a lot.”

Goro frowns, “Don’t think that this has fixed everything.”

“No, but it was a great first step,” Ryuji replies.

“Second,” Goro corrects. “The first was agreeing to go to that ramen place with you.” Ryuji’s grin widens, and Goro’s seems to dim in comparison, “I think you should go see Sakura tonight.” He elaborates when Ryuji frowns and tilts his head at him, “In all honesty, I want nothing more than to head back to the apartment and go to sleep. That leaves you with the rest of the day to do what you like without any hindrance from me.”

Ryuji tries to refute, “It’s not like that-”

“I’m telling you that I do not have the energy for anything else,” Goro reiterates. “But, there’s no reason for you to not pay a visit tonight.”

Ryuji watches Goro, trying to parse how much he means it. He knows he’s right, but something feels off about the idea of parting ways with him. “You’ll get home okay?” Ryuji eventually asks.

“I know my way around, yes,” Goro rolls his eyes.

“Cool. Then I guess I’ll see you later?”

Goro takes a purposeful step back, inching closer to the platform that will take him home, “Indeed.”

Ryuji shoves his hands in his pockets, taking a moment to remember which train he needs to take from here to get to Yongen-Jaya. “Thanks,” he adds as an afterthought. “I’ll see you later.” Goro nods and waves, and they slowly turn their backs to each other to walk in separate directions.

 

* * *

 

Ryuji doesn’t know why he hesitates, standing outside Leblanc’s door. He can see through the glass that Boss is busy inside talking to Prosecutor Niijima- and it’s just his luck that he’d run into her after Ann reminded them both that Goro once had another friend in the world. Someone else who cared about him and noticed his sudden absence. 

Maybe it’s the guilt weighing in on him, preventing him from raising his arm and grasping the door handle. Maybe Ryuji’s keeping himself out in the sunset’s glow because he knows he won’t tell her anything.  He’ll continue to lie to so many people’s faces because it’s not his place. Just because  _ he _ knows Goro’s okay and doing well doesn’t mean he can share that knowledge without Goro’s permission. No matter how much he wants to.

“Hey, look who it is,” Boss grins, lifting up a mug in a toast when Ryuji enters.

Ryuji turns bashful and rubs the back of his head, “Hey, Boss. How’s business?”

“Slow,” Sojiro deadpans. “What’re you drinking?”

“Uh, let’s see,” Ryuji makes a point to peruse Boss’ board with his types of coffee flavors before he gives up, “Ugh, we both know my taste ain’t refined enough yet.”

Sojiro’s chuckle is fond as he moves away to brew something up, “I got something in mind for you.” He then addresses Niijima, “Want another before you head home?”

“Please,” she affirms, facial features softer and kinder than Ryuji remembers. She was all business around them, although Makoto insisted she wasn’t always so cold. Her date with Sojiro must’ve gone well, although he doesn’t plan to mention that to Futaba. “Sakamoto-kun, feel free to sit,” she addresses the stool next to her, and Ryuji realizes he still hasn’t moved away from the entrance.

He moves to sit down, and swallows thickly, feeling intimidated by her presence. The cafe is empty, it’s just the three of them. He clears his throat, “Where’s Futaba?”

Sojiro nods his head up towards the attic. “Said she had to set up the projector and get a game booted up.”

As if she’s just been summoned, Futaba barrels down the stairs towards Ryuji. “Gimme,” she commands, pointing at his backpack. “You said you had it in your text.”

Ryuji rolls his eyes, “No hello? All you want is my computer?”

“I need to get Overwatch on there,” she explains, huffing with exasperation. “Gimme.”

Ryuji huffs and opens his backpack, handing over his laptop. Futaba snatches it from him and she grumbles about how ancient it is with disdain.

“Little gremlin,” he growls at her retreating form as she stalks back up the stairs.

Niijima sighs heavily. “You’re sure she’ll be fine for her exams?” She asks Sojiro.

He keeps busy with his coffee maker, responding, “I know that you’re anxious on her behalf. But let me do the parenting.” He looks at her, “She’s been working very hard. She’s been going to the library after school with that girl, Kana.”

Niijima seems placated, “Alright. I apologize, I don’t mean to overstep my bounds.”

“You want what’s best for her, I’m not upset,” he promises, setting a full mug in front of her. She thanks him and takes it in her hands. Sojiro places a mug in front of Ryuji as well, and it looks significantly lighter in color than Niijima’s. “Give that a try.”

Ryuji sniffs it because he’s seen Haru and Ren do the same. It smells sugary, certainly, but he thinks he catches vanilla and cinnamon. He takes a sip and grins, “Damn, Boss, you’re good.”

“Don’t you forget it,” Boss smirks.

Niijima shakes her head at the smug look Sojiro turns to her, and asks Ryuji, “You’re on break, yeah?”

Ryuji nods, “Only staying for a couple of days, though. I got work.”

“I’m glad you were able to get away for at least a bit, then,” she smiles, but it’s sharper than when it’s directed at Sojiro. “Makoto told me your grades were impressive.”

He scratches his nose, bashful, “Aw, they’re whatever. How’s she doing in Shinjuku?”

“She is apparently causing feuds with her classmates.” Ryuji’s eyes widen in alarm, but Niijima continues, “Academically, I mean. Discussions tend to get out of hand once Makoto shares her political views.” Niijima takes a sip of her coffee, but not before Ryuji catches a slight smirk on her face.

“It takes a lot of guts for her to go into criminal justice with completely different ideas than most people, huh?” Ryuji speculates. At first, the gang was shocked that she still wanted to pursue a career as an officer after all of the unfairness they had come across, but she was confident that she could make changes from the inside. If anyone could, it’d be Queen.

“I’m proud that she has stayed resilient and firm in her beliefs. I trust her to be stronger than I under societal pressures,” Niijima says. “I tried to work with the system, manipulate it against itself,” Niijima frowns and takes a drink. “But I just fell victim to the current instead.”

“We won’t let that happen to Makoto,” Ryuji promises.

Niijima huffs a laugh, shoulders relaxing, “No, I know you won’t.”

The conversation falls silent, but Ryuji keeps mulling her words over in his mind. “I think Akechi couldn’t handle the current either.”

“Akechi-kun rode that wave like a pro,” Niijima corrects, tone turning sharp. She shakes her head, “No, he knew he wasn’t going to come out the other side.”

“Have you found anything on him?” Ryuji eventually asks.

Niijima’s eyebrows furrow at him, “Why the sudden interest?”

Ryuji blinks, and looks away as he struggles to swallow that down. He reaches for the abandoned coffee and takes a hasty swig, burning his tongue. “I dunno. It was his birthday recently, maybe that got me thinking.”

Niijima’s shoulders drop like a depression in the earth, “He’s twenty. I planned to take him drinking.”

“You can take him out when you find him,” Ryuji says sincerely. “You’ll find him,” he insists. “He can’t hide forever.”

Niijima turns to him with a suspicious look, and Ryuji thinks about running out of the cafe, worried he’s not being careful enough. “Sakamoto-kun, do you know something?”

Futaba runs back down the stairs, shouting, “IT’S TIME TO GET OVERLY WATCHED!” and Ryuji's jaw falls slack. The tension releases with her presence, and he turns away from Niijima’s questioning look. Futaba skips her way to Ryuji and wraps her arms around his bicep, pulling him away. “Let’s goooo you promised!” She whines. Ryuji relents and follows her, feeling Niijima’s piercing gaze burning a hole in the back of his neck.

“Where’s Koji?” Futaba asks offhandedly.

Ryuji jolts, “Uh. H-he’s not feeling so good.” When he looks over his shoulder, he finds Niijima still watching him, and he pulls Futaba up the stairs with him.

She squeaks at the manhandling, but doesn’t otherwise protest. He apologizes by patting her shoulders and she shoves him away with a snicker. “Does Sae scare you?”

He feels how hot his face is and scratches the back of his head, “I just don’t know her that well.”

“Yeah,” she agrees, squatting in front of her computer and typing away. There’s a big projection screen taking up the whole wall, and it activates when she presses a button. “She’s fine, I guess.”

Ryuji gets settled next to her, watching a video play on the screen. She presses another button at the title screen of her game pops up.

“Does Koji play?” Futaba asks as she hands him a controller. She directs him to something called “Training Mode.”

“Nope,” Ryuji lets himself get familiar with the controls, glad for the distraction pushing his conversation with Niijima to the backburner. “I don’t think he ever played Mario Kart before meeting me.”

“Ugh, not worth my time,” she groans. Ryuji laughs, relaxing his shoulders and feeling his spirits lift.

 

* * *

 

It’s later in the evening when Ryuji leaves Leblanc. Sojiro offers a takeout container of curry before he’s out the door. “One for the road,” he says as a goodbye, and Ryuji bows his head in thanks. The smell of it is so nostalgic he struggles to keep from drooling on his way back as he stomach growls.

When he gets home, he’s greeted with the sight of Goro and his mother laughing side by side in the kitchen. Goro’s stirring something aromatic in a deep pan, and Ryuji inhales deeply. His mother is cutting up vegetables next to Goro and adding them to the pot before she turns around, “Hi sweetie, welcome home.”

“Hey,” Ryuji greets back, a slow grin creeping up his face. “You guys are making dinner?”

“Ramen,” Goro answers. The curves in Goro’s back and shoulders are relaxed, and it makes Ryuji feel a sense of relief, like his heart can finally stop trying to jump into his throat. “I couldn’t sit by and let your mother do all the work.”

“Ryuji, go set up the table,” his mother shoos him out of the kitchen. “If you’re not helping, you’re in the way.”

Ryuji complies, leaving the room while watching the two of them over his shoulder, the playfulness on his mother’s face as she picks up the conversation they were having, and Goro’s attentiveness following her instructions. Something satisfying pulls at Ryuji, makes him stand up straighter and loosen his shoulders as he’s setting out silverware and napkins on the table. He takes a seat and throws on some drama on the television as he waits for the pair of them to walk in and declare dinner ready. Once Ryuji and Goro suffer through another round of picture taking, the night passes peacefully, and Ryuji feels light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: More of the boys in Shibuya. Ryuji's dreams increase in frequency... and the long summer days keep on coming.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!


End file.
